Charmed Season 3
by Genius Equals Insanity
Summary: The rewritten Season 3 that will provide background for my upcoming Charmed original fanfiction, due to the changes in canon. There will be fanfictions for S4-8 as well. They will all be in script format. There will not be fanfictions for S1 or 2, or the stuff that happened before the show, as I changed nothing in those seasons or the background of the show.
1. The Honeymoon's Over

**The Honeymoon's Over**

[Scene: Attic. Prue is sitting on the floor looking through the Book of Shadows. The camera looks at dolls and a teddy bear. The cuckoo clock cuckoos. Prue gasps. It's 2 in the morning. She looks back at the Book. The door behind Prue slams open and it's Phoebe. Prue uses her power to send Phoebe (not knowing it's her) flying onto an old bed.

Phoebe: Ahhh. (The old bed tumbles over.) _Oh_.

Prue: Oh. Oh god. (She goes to help Phoebe stand up.) Phoebe, I didn't realize you were home. Are you OK?

Phoebe: _Yes_.

Prue: I'm sorry. Are you alright?

Phoebe: I'm _fine_. (Phoebe stands up.) Uh, feeling a little jumpy, are we?

Prue: Well, yeah. Especially now that we know the evil _Triad_ is behind all those attacks.

Phoebe: Um, yeah. I don't need a recap, but what I do need... is some _heat_. Is it freezing in here? Did you forget to pay the gas bill?

Prue: I… thought that you were supposed to pay the gas bill.

Phoebe: No, Prue. I was going to take care of the club and you were going to take care of the house. Remember? Once school started back up for me?

Prue: Oh, right. Uh, I'll call the gas company first thing. I will be _so_ glad when Piper gets back.

Phoebe: What if she doesn't? (A phone rings.)

Prue: Uh, that's my fax. (She goes to get it.) Doesn't what? (Phoebe puts her purse on.)

Phoebe: Wh-what if she doesn't come back? (Prue picks up the Book of Shadows.) I mean, what if when her and Leo orbed out, it was for good?

Prue: Phoebe, that is ridiculous. (Prue leaves. Phoebe follows.)

Phoebe: No. Prue, it's _not_ ridiculous. Think about it. We have not heard from her in a _month_. And that's not like her.

Prue: All right, look. Piper is not going to just ditch us, okay? We're her _sisters_ , and neither is Leo. He's _our_ whitelighter too.

(They get to the second floor.)

Phoebe: Then why hasn't she contacted us? I mean, she has to know that we're worried about her. She also has to know that she's left us one sister short in the Power of Three. (They walk downstairs.) So, while she is up romping around in the clouds with Leo, we've got our wiccan butts flapping around in the wind here. I mean, we are very lucky, Prue, that we have not been attacked yet.

(Prue stops at the end of the stairs.)

Prue: No. It has absolutely _nothing_ to do with luck. The Triad is up to something. We just don't know what it is yet.

Phoebe: That's exactly my point. Piper _knows_ this. So where the hell is she?

Prue: Well, that's why I've been studying the book.

Phoebe: Prue, studying the book is not going to do it. We're screwed without Piper and you know this. Why aren't you worried?

Prue: I _am_ worried. Alright? I am _scared_ that you're right, that we're never going to see her again, and not because she doesn't _want_ to come back, but because _they_ won't let her. Because she broke one too many rules. (The phone rings.)

Phoebe: Who's calling us at 2 in the morning? (Prue goes to answer it as Phoebe follows.)

Prue: Probably Darryl. (She answers it.) Hello?

Darryl: Did you get the fax I sent?

Prue: Yeah. I was just about to check it. (She heads for the conservatory with Phoebe following her.) Hold on.

Phoebe: What's going on?

Prue: Darryl's tracking a murder suspect who he thinks is in league with a demon.

Phoebe: Based on what?

Prue: Based on the fact that the killer carves a demonic symbol into its victim's forehead. (She gives Phoebe a piece of paper with a photograph of a victim.) An inverted triangle. That and the fact that he magically seems to be evading arrest. (Prue begins looking through the Book.)

Phoebe: Looks like a rune to me.

Prue: Yeah. I saw it in here somewhere. (Into the phone) Darryl, is he still at the pier street rave?

[Cut to Darryl. He's in a club with people dancing. He's talking on a cell phone. Loud soft music is playing (not love songs). Darryl is looking at a man (Later known as Emilio.)]

Darryl: Yeah, but I think he's on the move. I don't think he spotted me yet. He's heading out the back.

[Cut to Manor. Prue turns a page and sees the same symbol on the forehead of the demon drawn in the book. They're Guardians. Prue points to him.]

Prue: There.

Phoebe: (Reading from the book.) "An opening by which demons known as the Guardians steal an innocent's soul."

(Prue looks at her.)

Prue: (Into the phone.) Stay away from him Darryl.

[Cut to Darryl.]

Darryl: And let him kill somebody else? (Emilio goes outside.) I don't think so.

Prue: No. Listen to me.

[Cut to Manor.]

Prue: These Guardians protect their mortal killers in exchange for their victims' souls.

[Cut to Darryl. He leaves the building.]

Prue: You cannot stop him.

Darryl: Listen, Prue. I can take care of myself. I gotta call you back. I'm not sure where this guy is.

(Emilio swings down from the top of a pole and knocks Darryl out.)

[Cut to Manor.]

Prue: Darryl?

[Cut to Darryl. Emilio picks up the phone.]

Prue: Darryl? (He hangs it up.)

[Cut to Manor. Prue hangs up and walks in the kitchen with Phoebe following.]

Prue: Alright. We're only, uh, three minutes away.

Phoebe: What do we do once we get there?

Prue: How about save Darryl's life? (Prue goes to get her purse.)

Phoebe: No. I mean about the Guardian. We don't even know how to vanquish it.

Prue: Well, the book says you kill it just like you would a vampire, with a stake. (Prue leaves.)

Phoebe: Oh. Okay. (To the ceiling.) Piper, _where_ are you?! (She follows Prue.)

[Cut to Darryl. Emilio is kneeling by him. We hear soft chanting. He's about to strike him. A girl in her early twenties walks by and sees this. She gasps. Emilio sees her and she runs away. He follows her. She bangs on the door. He tries to stab her, but she ducks and runs the other way. She tries to climb up a fence, but he pulls her down.]

Woman: Please. Don't hurt me. (She screams and he kills her. He lies her on the floor.)

[Scene: Inside the building. Prue, wearing a coat, and Phoebe are walking through the crowd.]

[Cut to outside. Emilio carves the triangle into the woman's forehead as soft chanting is heard. The triangle glows. The Guardian is a spirit and rises from Emilio. A dark blue light goes into him. The Guardian goes back into Emilio. He walks to Darryl.]

[Cut to Prue and Phoebe. They walk outside and see the woman dead. They then turn around to see Emilio trying to do the same thing to Darryl.]

Phoebe: Darryl. Prue! (Prue uses her power to send Emilio flying on top of a dumpster. They run to check on Darryl. The Guardian arises from Emilio.) He's alive.

Prue: Uh, I think I've found the Guardian. (Phoebe and Prue stand up.)

Phoebe: Okay. Get rid of it.

Prue: Uh, oh.

(Prue uses her power to send a stick into the Guardian, but it goes right through him.)

Phoebe: Wait! Didn't the book say they were just like vampires?!

Prue: I might have misread that part.

Phoebe: I'm sorry? (The guardian picks up the knife.) Okay. The rune. Aim for the rune. (Prue uses her power to send a stick flying into the Guardian's triangle on his forehead. He gets electrocuted and disappears.) Okay, if Piper ever comes back, I am going to kill her.

Opening Credits

[Scene: From before. The police put the woman in a body bag. Phoebe and Prue are with Darryl, who's awake and being checked by a medic.]

Phoebe: Poor girl.

Medic: Do you feel dizzy at all? Nauseous?

Darryl: No.

Medic: Trouble focusing? Headache?

Darryl: I'm telling you I'm _fine_. Only thing wounded is my pride.

Prue: _Is_ he fine?

Medic: Yeah. Thanks to you guys.

Prue: What do you mean thanks to us?

Medic: Well, you fought off the attacker, didn't you? (Emilio walks towards the police car, staring at Prue and Phoebe with an evil grin on his face.) Isn't that what happened?

Prue: Uh, yeah, you know, it wasn't really that big of a deal.

Medic: Well, you saved his life. I think that's a pretty big deal. You're a lucky man, Inspector. Take care.

Darryl: Thanks.

(The medic grabs his bag and walks away.)

Phoebe: Okay, can we go now?

Darryl: No. You have to give witness statements.

Prue: Uh, Darryl….

Darryl: Prue, you're witnesses to a _crime_. In this case the _only_ witnesses.

Phoebe: No, Darryl, we can't _be_ witnesses. We used our powers to stop the killer, what are we supposed to say?

Prue: And he saw us use them too.

Darryl: Nobody's gonna believe anything that sleaze ball has to say. All you have to do is get your story straight.

Phoebe: You mean get our lies straight.

Darryl: Phoebe, listen to me, without your testimony, Emilio _walks_.

(Prue looks over at Emilio and he is still grinning at them.)

Prue: What is he smiling at anyway? It's not like he has his Guardian demon to protect him anymore.

Phoebe: Yeah, and unfortunately our guardian angel is nowhere to be found. (She looks up.) We could sure use some cosmic help right now! What are we supposed to do? We've never been in this situation before.

Darryl: You better decide fast. Here comes the ADA.

(A really cute ADA approaches them.)

Cole: Ladies. My name is Cole Turner and I'm the Assistant District Attorney assigned to this case. I was wondering if either of you saw what happened here.

Prue: I did.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Courtroom. Prue and Phoebe are sitting on one the benches. Cole is standing in front of them.]

Cole: I think we're in good shape except for the - what'd you call the murder weapon? - a-a athamee?

Prue: Athame. It's a ceremonial knife.

Cole: And are you sure you didn't see who took it?

Phoebe: No, we were there to check up on Darryl and-

Prue: Probably just some lunatic from the rave. Will it hurt the case?

Cole: The P.D. will try to focus on it, but this is just an arraignment. Unless there's something I don't know about, we should have more than enough for the judge to hold him over for trial. Don't worry. I'm good at what I do.

(The judge enters the room.)

Bailiff: All rise. Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge William Hamilton now presiding. Please be seated.

Phoebe: (to Prue) I'm nervous.

Prue: Oh, you know. Witches and trials. It's that whole Salem thing.

Phoebe: No. I mean about lying. It just doesn't feel right, Prue.

Prue: Would it feel more right to just let him go?

Court Clerk: Case number B684400. The state of California versus Emilio Smith. One count of murder in the first degree, one count attempted murder.

(Cole stands up.)

Cole: Assistant District Attorney Cole Turner for the state.

(The P.D. stands up.)

Alan: Public Defender Alan Sloan for the defense.

Judge: How does the defendant plead?

Alan: Not guilty, your Honor.

Judge: So noted. Mr. Turner, I have read your brief. Do you have anything to add?

Cole: No, your Honor. The state stands by the arrest report and the eye witness testimonies.

Judge: Mr. Sloan?

Alan: Well, uh, it seems to me, your Honor, you can't very well hold for a murder trial without a murder weapon.

Cole: The State has already stipulated that the alleged murder weapon is still outstanding. We have two eyewitnesses who-

Alan: Saw what, exactly? My client bent over the inspector? _That's_ how they justify their attack? How do they know that he didn't just happen to cross the scene, and was trying to _revive_ the inspector?

Phoebe: Oh, _please_!

(The judge bangs his mallet.)

Judge: Order!

(Cole looks at Phoebe and she mouths "Sorry".)

Alan: And why, if they were so easily able to subdue him, don't they know exactly what happened to the alleged weapon? I mean, what? Did it just - poof! - magically disappear?

Cole: Objection!

Phoebe: Oh god, he knows.

Prue: Easy.

Cole: Your Honor, the witnesses aren't on trial here.

Alan: Why? Isn't perjury illegal?

Cole: Objection, your Honor!

Judge: Mr. Turner, unless you have something else or can produce the alleged murder weapon, I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Sloan.

Cole: You're what?

Judge: Do you or don't you have any additional evidence?

Cole: You mean aside from the fact that he's the prime suspect in three other murders, that no less than five people saw him leave the rave just before the attacks, and that everything other than the missing murder weapon makes this in any other courtroom a slam dunk?

Judge: The charges are dropped, the defendant is released.

(He bangs his mallet.)

Cole: I don't believe this.

Bailiff: Clerk, next case.

(Emilio and Alan stand up. Emilio grins at Prue and Phoebe as they walk past them.)

Cole: Yeah, you keep smiling, punk. (Cole grabs his jacket.) I'm not giving up until I see you fry.

Darryl: Come on, Turner, this isn't gonna solve anything.

Alan: (to Emilio) Let's go. Let's go.

(They leave the room.)

Prue: (to Cole) I'm so sorry. I wish that there was more that we could do.

Cole: If there's something you're not telling me, anything. If you're afraid of him, we can protect you. I can refile.

Prue: Um, we have to go. Sorry.

(They walk away.)

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue and Phoebe are there. Prue's looking in the Book of Shadows.]

Phoebe: We shouldn't have lied.

Prue: Phoebe….

Phoebe: We shouldn't have. We should've told the truth. We should've done whatever we had to do to keep that jerk from walking.

Prue: Like what? Say what really happened to that knife? Tell the court that we're witches?

Phoebe: Why not, Prue? Isn't it more important to keep a killer off the streets then to protect our secret?

Prue: Phoebe, the Judge would've thought that we were nuts and you know it.

Phoebe: Not if you proved it to them and showed them your power.

Prue: No, that wouldn't have put Emilio away, that would've put _us_ away, and then we would never have the chance of catching him again.

Phoebe: And would that be before or after he kills somebody else? I'm sorry, you know I'm just really frustrated about all this. What about that public defender? I mean, if Emilio really did tell that P.D. about us, then why didn't he spill the magic beans?

Prue: Same reason as us, credibility. What I'm curious about is, is he mortal or is he demon? All I know is Cole is an _angel_. He was _awesome_ in that courtroom yesterday.

Phoebe: See something you like, sis?

Prue: Maybe, but he definitely doesn't have a bad butt.

(Piper and Leo orb in.)

Piper: We've been through this, Leo. I don't care who they are. It's not right and it's not fair.

Leo: I know that, but it's their rules.

Piper: _Screw_ their rules. They're _wrong_.

Prue: Piper….

Piper: Just a second. Leo, you better do something about this, because this is _not_ acceptable.

Leo: Piper, come on.

Piper: Oh. (She freezes him.) I'm gonna go to the club. Do not tell him.

(She leaves.)

Prue: Hi, welcome home!

Phoebe: Okay, what was that all about? I didn't even get to bitch at her.

Prue: Yeah, neither did I.

(Leo unfreezes.)

Leo: We have to talk about it.

Prue: Leo, she left.

Phoebe: Yeah, so now I get to bitch at you. Listen, the next time you take my sister someplace, please, call and let us know that you got there safely, okay. I don't care if it's up there-

Prue: Okay, oh, shh. Leo, uh, can you do me a favor and just go find out everything you can on Guardians. They are demons. Okay, thank you, bye.

(Leo orbs out.)

Phoebe: Excuse me, but I have issues.

Prue: Yes, I know, so do I, but Leo looked pretty beaten up already.

Phoebe: Yeah, you're right, which is why I'm now gonna go kick Piper's ass.

(She grabs the car keys and heads towards the door.)

Prue: Oh, oh!

(Prue closes the front door using her powers.)

Phoebe: Okay, we have had this conversation. You are not allowed to use your active power on me until I have an active power to use on you, remember?

Prue: I know, and I'm sorry, alright. But if anybody's gonna talk to Piper, it should be me, okay. You know, cooler head and all. Besides, shouldn't you be at class?

(Prue takes the keys off of Phoebe and leaves.)

[Scene: P3. Prue is walking down the stairs.]

Prue: Piper?

(Piper walks in holding a notebook.)

Piper: This is really weird. My supplies are, like, gone. There's no booze, there's no mineral water, and we're even out of pretzels. Plus, the books are all messed up. How did all this happen in one lousy day?

Prue: One day? You're kidding, right? Piper, you have been gone for one _month_.

Piper: What are you talking about?

Prue: Here. (She picks up a newspaper off of the bench.) Check the date. (She does so.)

Piper: _October_? It's... October? How is this possible? I guess time moves a little bit differently up there.

Prue: Yeah, well, it doesn't keep your head from being bitten off down here.

Piper: Are you talking about demons?

Prue: Oh, _no_ , something so much worse than demons. Sisters. Especially Phoebe. We thought that you had abandoned us.

Piper: That's ridiculous. I would never _abandon_ you guys. If I had known I was gone this long I would've called or orbed or somehow let you know I was okay.

Prue: Okay, so why didn't Leo?

Piper: Leo was battling demons of his own. Wait a minute, what's today? There's a band. The-the-the Barenaked Ladies are playing here tomorrow. Didn't anybody bother to call them?

Prue: I-I don't really think that Phoebe knew. (Piper picks up the phone but Prue puts it back on its cradle.) Hey, you know what? Piper, can we just talk about what happened up there first?

Piper: Sure, uh, unfortunately the longer I'm back, the fuzzier it all seems to get. I think they do that on purpose. They're very big on mystery.

Prue: Okay, do you remember anything?

Piper: Just... feelings mostly. Good ones. Peaceful and whole and then it all went to _crap_ when they said that Leo and I had to stop seeing each other or else.

Prue: Or else what?

Piper: Or else they'd reassign him and we'd never see each other again. Just because it didn't work out with mom and her whitelighter, I don't understand why I'm being punished.

Prue: I'm sure that you guys will figure out a way around this. Come here. (They hug.) Leo would never let you go without a fight, you know that.

Piper: But what if he doesn't have a choice?

[Scene: Outside the manor. Prue gets out of her car. Cole comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder. Prue spins around and does a high kick. Cole grabs her leg before it hits him.]

Prue: Cole!

Cole: Hi, how's it going?

Prue: (embarrassed) Oh, Uh, I'm-

Cole: It's okay, I'm okay. Nice calf.

Prue: Oh, thanks. Can I have it back?

Cole: Sure. Sure.

(He lets go of her leg.)

Prue: Okay. (She laughs.) Uh, how did you find me?

Cole: Told you I was good at what I do. Although you probably wouldn't think so after my performance in court.

Prue: No, I thought that you were amazing. It's just you were up against a... uh... an unfair judge.

Cole: Free Willy. He's got that reputation. Still, I know I didn't put on my best case. That's why I'm here. To see if you can help me do a better job.

Prue: How?

Cole: I don't know, you tell me. Look, Prue, I may not be the greatest prosecutor, but I've got good instincts. I can sense things about people, things they might not even want me to know.

Prue: And what do you sense about me?

Cole: That you're struggling with the truth. That you're a good person who wants to do the right thing here but for whatever reason you can't. How am I doing so far?

Prue: Hung jury, mistrial.

Cole: If you think of anything, please call me. Bye.

(He turns and walks away. Prue checks out his butt. Her phone rings. She answers it.)

Prue: Hello?

Phoebe: Prue. I had a premonition when I touched Cole's card. Emilio was carving that rune into Cole's forehead.

Prue: Oh no.

Commercial Break

[Scene: At the manor. Piper and Phoebe are there with Prue.]

Prue: Did you see where it happens?

Phoebe: No, just some parking lot somewhere.

Prue: Are you sure?

Phoebe: Yeah, positive. Although, now that I think about it, it does seem weird because we vanquished the Guardian.

Prue: Yeah, well, maybe he got another one.

(Piper opens her mouth ready to speak.)

Phoebe: What's a Guardian you ask? Well, if you'd been around _at all_ then you'd probably know, huh?

Prue: Alright, we'll fill you in on the phone, and Leo's checking on them so you should get together with him and find out everything.

Phoebe: And no orbing!

(Prue and Phoebe leave the manor.)

[Scene: Courthouse. Emilio walks into the judge's chambers.]

Emilio: I need another Guardian.

Judge: What you need is to be more careful. I won't protect you again.

Emilio: I won't get caught again. I can take care of the witches, Judge.

Judge: No, you can't. You're _mortal_. But you _can_ take care of the prosecutor. (A dagger magically appears in the judge's hand.) I don't want him to find out about you or me, understand?

[Scene: Police station. Cole is there talking to Darryl.]

Darryl: I wish I could help you, Turner, but I told you everything I can.

Cole: Call me Cole. After all, we're on the same side, aren't we?

Darryl: As often as cops and are, I guess.

Cole: Look, Inspector, I'm just trying to do my job, okay. I let a murderer go free today and that doesn't sit well with me.

Darryl: Me neither.

Cole: Then help me do something about it. Help me find out what it is that I'm missing here.

Darryl: What you're _missing_ is a _suspect_ , and if you let me do my job, then maybe I can help you find him, _again_. Now if you'll excuse me….

Cole: Why'd you call the Halliwells last night?

Darryl: What?

Cole: While you were on stake out at 2:17 _AM_ according to the phone company.

Darryl: You checked up on me?

Cole: Standard procedure, Inspector.

Darryl: Gee, and here I thought we were on the same side. I called because the sisters own a club. I thought they'd be interested in checking out the rave.

Cole: That was very nice of you.

Darryl: I'm a nice guy.

Cole: Yeah. (Cole's phone rings.) Turner.

Secretary: It's Phoebe Halliwell.

Cole: Oh, speak of the devil.

Secretary: Can I take a message?

Cole: No, please, put her through. Phoebe?

Phoebe: Cole, I've been trying to reach you.

Cole: Sorry, I was in a meeting with Inspector Morris actually. Wanna say hello?

[Cut to Prue and Phoebe in the car.]

Phoebe: Uh, no. (to Prue) He's at the police station.

Prue: 10-15 minutes at least.

Phoebe: Listen, Cole, I need to talk to you, it's really, really important.

(The phone begins to break up.)

Cole: Say again, I didn't catch that.

Phoebe: Cole? Uh, just-just stay where you are and I'll come meet you there, okay?

Cole: We've got a bad line. Look, I'm running late for court. I'll call you from my car. (He hangs up.)

Phoebe: Cole? (She hangs up.) Damn it.

[Cut to the car park at the police station. Cole is walking towards his car. Emilio is hiding behind a pole, holding the dagger. He runs to another pole. Cole hears his footsteps and looks behind him. Emilio hides behind a pole in front of him. Cole continues walking. As he walks past the pole, Emilio jumps out and hits him over the head with the hilt of the dagger. Cole falls to the ground. Prue and Phoebe arrive in the car and drive straight towards Emilio. He jumps out of the way. Prue and Phoebe get out of the car. Phoebe runs over to Emilio and he tries to stab her. She jumps up to dodge the attack and flies straight up into the air.]

Phoebe: Whoaaa! (She levitates in the air. Phoebe is in shock. Prue uses her power and Emilio lands on a car. Phoebe falls back onto the ground.) An active power. (The Guardian rises out of Emilio.) Not that active. Prue!

Prue: Hey, catch.

(Prue uses her power and the dagger flies straight into the Guardian's rune. The Guardian explodes in a ball of flame. Prue runs over to Cole.)

Prue: Cole! Cole!

(Cole wakes up.)

Cole: Prue? What are you doing here? What happened?

Prue: I think I'm gonna plead the fifth on that one.

(They smile.)

[Scene: Manor. Piper is walking down the hallway. She hears Leo talking to himself in the bathroom. She stands next to the door and listens.]

Leo: I look at you, and I think how lucky I am. I mean, I can't stop looking at you. You're my dream come true. You're my raison d'être.

[Cut to the bathroom. Leo is looking in the mirror.]

Leo: Every time I see you, I love you even more. You're so beautiful. You're so special. I can't imagine my life without you. (Piper walks in.) Piper!

Piper: Leo, who are you talking to?

Leo: Me? Uh, nobody, just myself, you know.

Piper: Yourself? You were telling yourself how much you love you?

Leo: No, of course not. Uh, I mean, it's, it's not like that at all. Um, let's go downstairs and I'll explain.

Piper: Actually, no, we don't have time. Uh, did you find out anything about the Guardians?

Leo: Uh, no, I forgot.

Piper: You _forgot_? Leo, what's the matter? Why are you acting so weird?

Leo: Can we go downstairs, please?

Piper: No, why?

Leo: Okay, fine, um, here's good. Um, I've been thinking a lot actually about our situation.

Piper: Leo….

Leo: No, no, just let me finish. Um, I think I've come up with a solution, a way for us to be together no matter what they say. (Leo gets down on one knee and Piper's eyes widen. He takes Piper's hand.) Will you marry me?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Continued from before. Piper is running down the stairs and Leo is following.]

Leo: Piper!

Piper: This is _so_ not happening.

Leo: Listen to me, Piper, I told you, I thought this whole thing through.

Piper: Uh huh. Is that why you asked me to marry you in a toilet?

Leo: I _tried_ to get you downstairs.

Piper: Well, I'm downstairs now and I still don't believe you're serious.

Leo: I am serious, Piper, dead serious.

Piper: Right. Dead is exactly what we're gonna be if they ever find out.

(Piper walks into the living room. Leo follows.)

Leo: Piper, would you... would you stop running away from me for just _one minute_ and let me explain. (She stops and faces him.) If we got married- (She sighs.) Look, will you just hear me out, please? If we got married, it would be a holy union, something I don't even think my bosses could break apart.

Piper: I don't understand.

Leo: It's really hard to explain. I-I don't even really understand how it all works myself, but I know that there are different levels up there, a hierarchy. What I'm trying to say is that I think a holy union goes above their heads. It'd be like running an end run to my bosses' bosses.

Piper: An _end run_?

Leo: Yeah. The only catch is that we would have to get married in secret because I think that the only way that they could hurt us is if they found out before, so we just have to keep it quiet.

Piper: Elope?

Leo: Right.

Piper: So that they don't find out.

Leo: Exactly. (Pause) You _hate_ the idea.

Piper: Well, it's not exactly Cinderella, is it? Leo, look, how do we know they don't know already? How do we know they're not _listening_ right now?

Leo: They're not, believe me, they don't do that.

Piper: So then why does it have to be a secret?

Leo: Because if they ever _did_ find out….

Piper: Leo, this isn't supposed to be this way. Marriage shouldn't be a solution to a problem or a band aid, it's supposed to be about love and about two people who love each other so much that they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Leo: That's what I want.

Piper: But that's not where this is coming from. It's a fix-it, I guess, but it's not about us or love or whether or not we're even ready to be married.

Leo: I came up with this whole idea _because_ we love each other. It's _all about_ our love. We're meant to be together, Piper, you know that. You went to the future and you saw that we were married in it. That means that somehow they didn't stop us, _somehow_ we found a way to be together, and I think that this is the way.

Piper: I don't know. Leo, I love you, and I know that I don't ever wanna be without you, but... this just doesn't feel right. I mean, getting married in secret... It doesn't feel like a holy union to me. I'm sorry.

(Prue and Phoebe come home.)

Prue: Piper?! Leo?! (They walk into the living room.) Oh, hey, Leo, good. Uh, did you find out anything about the Guardians?

Leo: Not yet.

Phoebe: Not yet? What do you mean not yet? (Piper leaves the room.) Piper.

Leo: I'll go see what I can find out.

(He orbs out.)

[Scene: Police station. In a room. Emilio and Darryl are there. Cole walks in.]

Cole: You get anything out of him?

Darryl: Nope, he's not talking.

Cole: Yeah? It seems to be an epidemic.

(Cole begins to walk over to Emilio but Darryl stops him.)

Darryl: Don't do anything stupid, Turner. You don't want to compromise the case.

Cole: What case? He's already gotten away with murder. You really think they're gonna nail him for hitting me over the head? (He walks over and sits on the end of the table.) How's it going? I'm gonna make you a deal, Emilio. One that, if you're smart, you'll jump at. Obviously whoever's protecting you isn't gonna keep doing it for much longer. Especially since you keep screwing up and getting caught. So you might wanna pay attention. I want you to get a message to your friend. Tell him I know that he sent you after me, and because of that, I'm gonna personally bring him down.

Emilio: You don't scare me.

Cole: No? (He shakes his head. Cole bangs Emilio's head on the table and grabs his throat.) You have no idea who you're dealing with.

Darryl: What are you doing? Let him go.

(Darryl splits them up.)

Cole: See you in court.

(He leaves.)

[Scene: Manor. Piper's room. Piper is laying on the bed. Prue and Phoebe enter.]

Prue: Hey.

(They lay all over Piper.)

Phoebe: Do you want to be alone?

Piper: No. But it looks like I'm gonna be. Leo asked me to marry him.

Prue: That's great!

Piper: Yeah, except that I can't do it.

Phoebe: Oh, what do you mean you can't do it, Piper? You love him.

Piper: Of course I do, with all my heart, but…. Why's it gotta be so complicated? Why can't I just be a normal person in love with a normal guy?

Prue: Does Leo think that getting married is the only way around them?

Piper: Yeah, but he's not even sure it's gonna work.

Phoebe: Yeah, but it _might_ work. Piper, you and Leo are _destined_ to be together. You guys have the kind of love that girls _dream_ about. I know I dream about it, how about you?

Prue: _All the time._

Phoebe: And I understand the risks, but if you don't go for it, isn't it an even bigger risk?

(Leo orbs in.)

Prue: That was fast.

Phoebe: A little too fast.

Leo: Sorry, but they were very interested when I told them about the Guardians. Apparently, Guardians help mortal criminals spread evil.

Prue: Yeah, we already knew that. Skip ahead.

Leo: Well, they think that you stumbled across some evil conspiracy in that courtroom. One where an upper level demon somehow assigns Guardians to the criminals who are set free.

Phoebe: That makes sense. It explains why Emilio has two.

Prue: Yeah, the question is, who's the demon?

Piper: Didn't you say the public defender seems suspicious?

Prue: Yeah, but he's not exactly in the best position to be setting criminals free…. But Free Willy is.

Piper: Who?

Prue: The judge. That would explain why he's got the highest release rate of anyone on the bench.

Leo: Still, you can't very well go vanquishing a judge without knowing for sure he's demonic.

Phoebe: Well, we better come up with a plan fast because Emilio gets arraigned in night court in, oh, an hour.

Prue: I've got an idea.

[Scene: Courthouse. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are walking down the corridor.]

Piper: Can't we just come up with a spell or something?

Prue: No, a spell could backfire on us.

Piper: So could this.

Prue: No, the worst that could happen is that it just doesn't work, but we have to flush the demon out somehow.

Phoebe: And since you can selectively freeze things, why not just the innocents?

Piper: Oh, maybe because I've never done it before.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, I've never levitated before.

Piper: You never what?

Prue: Look, Piper, just focus all of your energy on freezing the innocents, okay?

Piper: Okay. (to Phoebe) So why did you do that to your hair?

Phoebe: Because I wanted to change my luck.

Piper: _Oh._

Phoebe: Scoot.

[Cut to inside the courtroom. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk in.]

Alan: How many times is the prosecution gonna keep harassing my client, you Honor? I mean, as far as I'm concerned, this has turned into nothing but a witch hunt.

Cole: If I may have a minute to confer with the witnesses?

(Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo sit down next to Darryl.)

Judge: It's late, Mr. Turner. Either you have a case or you don't.

Cole: Very well. Uh, why would the defendant attack me if he was innocent of the prior charges?

Alan: There's no proof that he's the one responsible for the attack.

Prue: (whispers) Now, Piper.

Cole: Then what was he doing in the police parking lot? And why did myself and two eyewitnesses-

Alan: You mean, the same two eyewitnesses that were here before?

Phoebe: Piper….

Piper: _Alright_.

Alan: And what were they doing there? (Piper tries to freeze the room but nothing happens.) I mean, how is it that they just magically happen to be at every crime scene?

Prue: _Try it again._

Piper: I _am_ trying.

Cole: Objection, your Hon-

(Piper freezes the room and only Cole, Leo, and Darryl freeze.)

Phoebe: It worked.

Judge: Overruled.

Prue: It's the judge.

Alan: You Honor, I move for this case to be dismissed.

Phoebe: And the P.D.

(They look around and Emilio and the security guards haven't frozen.)

Piper: It's everybody.

Prue: Oh!

Judge: Kill them.

Prue: Oh!

Phoebe: What do we do?

Prue: Oh! Oh! We run.

(They run into another room. The judge turns into a demon.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Continued from before. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe run into a room and lock the door.]

Phoebe: Okay, does anybody have any brilliant ideas?

Prue: Ah, can't you just freeze them?

Piper: No, once they're immune to it they stay that way. That's why it's called immunity.

Phoebe: Great. (Everyone outside tries to bang down the door.) Okay, this was all your idea, you know.

Prue: Okay, well, so sue me.

[Cut to outside.]

Judge: Stand back.

(Everyone moves out of the way. A fireball flies out of the judge's hand and hits the door.)

[Cut back to the room.]

Prue: Ah, any mass vanquishing spells?

Phoebe: You're the one that's been studying the book.

Prue: Why are you picking on me?

Phoebe: Because I'm scared and we're outnumbered.

Piper: Okay, but we can't stay in this room for the rest of our lives.

(The judge throws another fireball.)

Prue: Oh! (Everyone outside continues to bang on the door.) Alright, the best defense is a good offense. Are you ready?

Piper: No.

Prue: Yeah, you're ready.

Piper: No, no.

Prue: On three. One, two, (to Phoebe) don't hold my hand. One, two, three.

(Prue uses her power and the door flies open, knocking everyone behind it out of the way. Alan points a gun at Prue and she uses her power on him. A security guard grabs her from behind. Phoebe does some of her karate moves on some woman. Emilio heads straight for Piper holding a knife and she continually tries to freeze him. She picks up a baton off of the floor and blocks his attack. Prue breaks away from the guard's grip and kicks one in the stomach. The judge throws a fireball straight at Prue and her power reflects it. They continue fighting everyone until they are all unconscious.)

Prue: Okay, nicely done.

Phoebe: You too.

Piper: Wait a minute, if they're demons where are their powers?

Judge: Come to me!

(The Guardians rise out of the people and absorb into the judge as he flees into the chambers.)

Prue: Guardians. They're not demons, they're just protected by them. Come on.

(They run towards the chambers. Cole moves. He wasn't frozen. He shimmers away.)

[Cut to the judge's chambers. The judge is there. Cole shimmers in front of him.]

Judge: What the hell?

Cole: Thanks. I'll take it from here.

(Cole flicks his hand and the judge is engulfed in flames. Cole shimmers back outside. He gets back into his frozen position. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk into the chambers. The judge burns and disappears.)

Piper: Okay, how did that happen?

Prue: Good question, but we're not alone. We better get back before Cole unfreezes.

(They walk back outside.)

Piper: How are we gonna explain all this to him?

Prue: Uh…. (Prue picks up a baton and stands behind Cole.) I am so sorry. (She hits him over the head and he falls down. Piper unfreezes Leo and Darryl.) Oh, Cole, Cole. (He sits up.) Are you okay?

Cole: Uh, yeah. I think so. (He rubs his head.) What happened?

Prue: Aren't you getting tired of asking me that? (He stares at her.) Emilio went nuts and he tried to escape and then all the courtroom people tried to help him. Thank God for Darryl.

Piper: Yep, saved the day.

Cole: (confused) What?

Prue: Something good happened. Can't you just accept that?

Cole: It's not in my nature.

[Scene: P3. The Barenaked Ladies are playing. Piper's at the bar serving drinks. Prue and Phoebe walk up.]

Phoebe: You've been gone for two days and you get the Barenaked Ladies? How?

Piper: Oh, actually, I just made a couple of phone calls.

Phoebe: And I can't even get Barry Manilow on the phone. I'm sorry I screwed up your club.

Piper: Oh, Phoebe, don't. I owe you guys an apology, and thanks for covering my butt.

Phoebe: Ah, not a problem. I didn't even really notice that you were gone actually.

Prue: Liar. Though I've been doing a lot of that lately myself unfortunately, especially to Cole. But hopefully I won't have to lie to him anymore.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, something tells me he's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Prue: No complaints here.

Piper: Uh, one over here. _Hottie_ that he is, he is an Assistant D.A., which makes him somewhat of a threat to us.

Prue: Yeah, but at least he's one of the good guys. (Leo walks in.) Speaking of the good guys….

Phoebe: Uh, so have you had a change of heart?

Piper: Actually, no. (She walks over to Leo.) Hi.

Leo: Hi. Piper, maybe it was a mistake-

Piper: Wait, Leo, me first. I've been thinking a lot about our situation and you asking me and I didn't want to just dismiss it without thinking it through. Um, last night in the courtroom, I was actually scared. For a minute there I thought I wasn't gonna make it, that that was it, and that's when I realized... that I don't wanna die without ever having been married to you. The answer is yes, Leo, I would love to marry you.

Leo: Yeah?

Piper: Yeah.

Leo: Yeah?

(They laugh.)

Piper: Yeah.

(They hug. They kiss and the scene fades out.)


	2. Magic Hour

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

 **Magic Hour**

[Scene: Hairdressing salon. Piper is sitting in a chair. She looks over and sees other women reading bridal magazines. She rolls her eyes. She picks up a bridal magazine off of a table and looks at it. She puts it back face down on the table. She stands up and heads for the door. She changes her mind, picks up the bridal magazine and walks outside. She walks into an elevator and two women follow. They happily show each other their engagement rings and Piper pulls a face.]

[Cut to outside the manor. Piper pulls up in her car. She gets out and a just married couple drive past in a convertible. She slams her car door shut.]

[Cut to inside the manor. Phoebe is standing next to the table making 3D glasses. Prue is watching.]

Prue: She's gonna choose you.

Phoebe: Is not.

Prue: You get to hang out with her a lot more.

Phoebe: You've known her longer. I mean, there was that whole bonding time before I was even born.

Prue: Okay, she was one and I was three. (Phoebe puts on the 3D glasses.) What did we bond over? Diapers and drooling? What are those?

Phoebe: They're glasses, so we can watch the eclipse.

Prue: They're very cool.

Phoebe: I made you a pair too.

Prue: Yay, thank you.

(Piper walks in.)

Phoebe: Oh, good, you're home.

Prue: Hey, so, um, we were sorta hoping that you could settle something for us.

Piper: Sure, anything to get my mind off weddings. (Prue and Phoebe look at each other.) What?

Prue: Nothing.

Piper: No, come on. What?

Prue: Okay, uh, well, we were kind of wondering who you were going to have as your maid of honor.

Piper: Oh, well, let me think about it. I'm not allowed to invite anybody or have a cake or a band or flowers, so what makes you think that I'll be able to _have_ a maid of honor?

Phoebe: It's not that bad.

(They walk into the living room and sit down on the couch.)

Piper: It's not like I'm some girly-girl who wants like a fairytale wedding, but I just thought there would be some things that would be givens.

Phoebe: Like fighting with the caterer and agonizing over who makes the final cut on the guest list?

Piper: Even those. I just, just wanna be able to celebrate a little.

Prue: Alright, maybe you're not getting your dream wedding, but you are getting your dream guy.

(Piper sighs. Leo orbs in.)

Phoebe: Leo!

Leo: _Shh!_

Phoebe: (whispering) Leo.

Leo: I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Piper: Can you possibly be the bearer of a big hug?

Leo: Not after what I just found out. (He sits on the coffee table in front of Piper.) They want an answer, Piper, about us. Either there _isn't_ any us or you guys get a new lighter. We have till tomorrow night to decide.

Piper: Tomorrow night? That's _insane_.

Leo: Look, there is door number three. We can try and pull this off tomorrow night; if we do, it's binding. They can't even break that apart.

Piper: Yeah, but if they find out they can break _us_ apart into a thousand little pieces.

Phoebe: Excuse me?

Piper: I believe the term he used was "unspeakable wrath, the likes of which you can't even imagine."

Leo: Look, I'm not gonna lie to you, we would be taking a huge risk and until they get an answer, they are going to be listening very closely, so any talk of 'it', any use of the 'W' word….

Prue: I hate to be the detail police, but how are we gonna hide it from them when we're on their supernatural radar? They're always gonna be tuning in. Phoebe, did you find anything in the Book of Shadows about how to hide this?

Phoebe: No, nothing. I'm sorry. I'm still stuck on the unspeakable wrath part. I mean, is that just the bride and groom or does it also include bridesmaids?

Prue: Phoebe….

Phoebe: What? I mean, there must be some _real_ reason that this merging is so forbidden. They are _hardcore_ against it.

Prue: Yeah, well, rules are meant to be broken.

Phoebe: _Bodies weren't_.

Piper: And neither were hearts. Leo, are you sure that there's a way we can do this without getting caught?

Leo: If there is, we'll find it. Just be extra careful. Speak in code, and especially avoid using words like, you know.

Piper: Hmm.

Leo: Dum, dum, da-dum.

Piper: _Mmm hmm._ Alright, you should go. (They stand up and stand close to each other.) The less time you spend here is probably better. (They move in to kiss but stop.) And we probably shouldn't do that either.

Leo: Soon.

Piper: _Yeah_.

(Leo orbs out. Prue gets up and hugs Piper.)

Prue: Why are they so hell-bent on seeing each one of us so very very alone? (Kit growls from outside.) _Kit_?

[Cut to the porch. An owl is there and Kit has her claw up ready to attack it. Phoebe opens the door.]

Piper: Kit, leave that alone!

Phoebe: Bad kitty!

(The owl suddenly turns into a naked man.)

Phoebe: _Good_ kitty.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Everyone is there including the guy (Chris). He has wrapped a towel around his waist.]

Chris: Aren't you afraid of me?

Prue: No. Are you planning on sprouting horns, growing fangs, and eating us?

Chris: If you work for him, I'll do worse than that.

Prue: Which him are you referring to?

Piper: Okay, hi, not that I don't enjoy the verbal ping pong here, but we do have that other thing we need to figure out kind of quickly, so let's cut to the chase. Are we helping or fighting?

Chris: What you saw happen to me didn't scare you?

Phoebe: If I had a dollar for every time an owl turned into a hot guy on our porch, I'd be rrr- (Piper covers Phoebe's mouth.)

Piper: We've seen worse.

Prue: If you're not here to kill us, apparently we're supposed to help you.

Chris: The only help you can give me is to allow me to leave.

(A wolf lurks outside.)

Prue: I think it's pretty obvious, don't you, that we're, uh, pretty familiar with the world of magic. We're sort of on the same team here.

Chris: The _last thing_ that I need in my life right now is more _magic_.

Prue: I don't think you understand.

Chris: No, you're right, I _don't_ understand, because I stopped understanding when he _cursed_ me and took my life away from me. The only thing I _do_ understand is loss. And the only thing I _want_ is revenge.

Phoebe: Who did this to you? Was it a magician, a sorcerer?

Chris: He was my boss.

Prue: Just give us some time. I'm sure we can figure out-

Chris: I've lost enough time already when your cat dragged me here. Look, I only have twelve hours and at sunrise tomorrow I am airborne again. I won't, no, I _can't_ last another day repeating the same cycle. Tonight, this thing ends. His _life_ , and I hope the curse that goes along with it.

Prue: Just give us thirty seconds. Please?

Chris: It starts now.

Piper: Okay, uh, there are some of my boyfriend's clothes over there. Why don't you dress, while we huddle.

(He walks over to the pile of clothes.)

Phoebe: Well, he definitely has that whole tortured innocent thing going on.

Piper: Yeah, but we're kind of busy and he doesn't seem to want our help.

Prue: Been there, saved that. It wouldn't be the first time. Alright, you get ready, just in case he decides to bolt. Alright, here's what we're gonna…. (The guy has snuck out.)

Piper: Oh, well, he's gone. That's too bad.

Phoebe: Uh, Piper, we can't just ignore this. He was brought to us for a reason.

Piper: Yes, but we have to find a way to hide the www... rutabaga before they catch on.

Prue: The rutabaga?

Piper: It's a code word, for the thing we're not supposed to talk about. (Hums the wedding song.)

Prue: Oh, the rutabaga.

Piper: Yes, so let's do the divide and conquer thing, okay? (Kit is playing with the owl feather.) Great.

Phoebe: I'll look in the Book of Shadows and try to scry with this owl feather. (She picks up the feather.) You guys see what you can come up with for Piper's rutabaga.

(Piper walks in the foyer.)

Prue: Phoebe, Piper needs your help just as much as the innocent does, maybe more.

Phoebe: I'm fully aware that we're supposed to protect the innocent. These are the rules that we live by now. I'm just not so sure that we should be helping Piper break them.

[Scene: Bookstore. Piper and Prue are standing in line holding some books.]

Prue: I don't get it. If our ancient compilation of spells, witchcraft, and rituals can't help us, what makes you think that Martha Stewart can? (Cole walks up to them.) Hi!

Cole: Prue... and….

Prue: Uh….

Piper: Piper.

Prue: Piper.

Cole: Right.

Prue: Assistant District Attorney, we have to stop meeting like this.

Cole: You better be careful or a guy might think he's being followed.

(Prue laughs.)

Piper: _You_ better be careful or a girl might think her sister's getting a _really_ cheesy pick up line.

Prue: Um, so what brings you all the way across town?

Cole: I needed some source material on a forensic psychology case.

Prue: Well, I can see you're making a lot of progress.

(He looks at his empty hands.)

Cole: Yeah. (They laugh. Piper's not impressed. A bookstore employee hands him some books.)

Bookstore Employee: Here's the info on forensic psychology you requested.

Cole: Thanks.

Prue: Oh, embarrassed, party of one.

(They walk up to the counter and put their books down. Cole sees Piper's book "How To Keep Your Marriage".)

Cole: So who's the lucky guy or. more importantly, who's the lucky sister?

(The bookstore employee puts the books in two bags.)

Piper: Me... me, me. Mimi, our cousin. (Cole wiggles his fingers and Piper's books swap over with his.) Our cousin Mimi.

Prue: Good old cousin Mimi.

Piper: Love her.

Cole: Well, I should probably get going. I've sort of got plans to accidentally bump into another eyewitness over at the Gas 'N Sip's.

(Prue laughs.)

Prue: Cute.

Cole: I got cuter.

Piper: Okay. Time to go.

(Piper grabs the bag with Cole's books in it and Phoebe follows. Cole pulls out Piper's books and looks at the covers. They are called "How To Keep Your Marriage" and "The Secret Of Eloping".)

[Scene: The boss's office. He and his assistant walk into a room.]

Assistant: I made another killing today. When you told the traders to buy fifty-four and a quarter, they were a little sketchy. Thirty minutes later, everybody's rich, and they're worshipping you like a god.

Boss: Magic does take a bit of the risk out of playing the market. Unfortunately, not all of my risks have paid out like they're supposed to.

Assistant: You've heard it too?

Boss: That _screech_. It reeks of despair. He's near, circling. He longs for her like I do.

Assistant: Give it time.

Boss: I sought the magic so I wouldn't have to. It's been _two months_. The curse should've _broken them_ by now! All this means nothing if I can't have what I want. And I want her. _Dismissed_.

(The assistant disappears in a puff of smoke. Chris appears behind the boss and holds a knife up against his chest.)

Chris: I am going to cut out your heart like you cut out mine.

Boss: _Christopher_ , I'm impressed. In our time apart, you've gone and discovered courage.

Chris: Would you like to _borrow_ some?

Boss: No, thanks, I'm trying to cut down. I have to say I'm a bit surprised to see you've managed to come so close. Note to self, chat with security.

Chris: A bird's eye view gives a man a different perspective, different strategies.

Boss: Uh, yes, the curse. So tell me, does absence make the heart grow fonder? (Chris jabs the knife in his chest.) Aaahhh! Do you really think that killing me will ease your pain? All that will do is ensure that the curse lasts forever.

(Boss flicks his hand and an assistant appears holding a crossbow.)

Assistant: You rang?

Boss: What's it gonna be, Chris? You've got the wrong plan. The only way your curse ends is if she _gives_ herself to me but, ah, is he telling the truth? I'll let you in on a little secret, I never bluff, and he rarely misses. (The man shoots the crossbow at a signal from the boss and Chris jumps out of the way. He runs away.) _Find him_ and _kill him_ , and if you haven't by sunrise, kill _every_ owl you see!

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Phoebe's looking through the Book of Shadows. Piper and Prue walk in.]

Phoebe: Hey, I hope you guys had better luck than I did.

(Piper walks over to the BOS and starts flipping the pages.)

Piper: Not really. I ended up with the wrong books and, uh, well, Prue almost got lucky right there in the store.

Prue: Ha ha. So you didn't find anything?

Phoebe: Yeah, it's just the pieces don't really seem to fit, you know, I mean, I-I can understand cursing someone to be an animal, but why for only half of the day?

Prue: And we don't know where he went, right?

Phoebe: No, I tried scrying with the owl feather, but it must not work while he's human.

Piper: I found something.

Prue: On the curse?

Piper: Um, no, about the, um, rutabaga. It's a ritual that's _like_ a rutabaga, but it's called a, um…. (She writes down "Handfasting" on a small blackboard.)

Phoebe: Oh, yeah, handfa….

Prue/Piper: Shh shh shh.

Piper: The reason we _write_ the bad words is so that we don't _say_ the bad words. Wait a minute, I thought you said you looked in the Book and couldn't find anything to help me.

Phoebe: Uh, yeah, well, it said that we needed a high priestess, and since we don't have one of those, I just sort of figured why even mention it. Besides, I couldn't find anything in there about how to hide it from them, and since that's really the most important part so that we don't have to feel the, um…. (She writes "UNSPEAKABLE WRATH!" on the blackboard and shows it to them.)

Piper: I think you can say those words.

Phoebe: Uh, I was hoping writing them down would help us remember them. Um, I'm just worried that if you go through with it, it's going to be too dangerous, and that maybe, um, and this is really hard for me to say, but maybe you're being a little selfish.

Piper: _Selfish?_

Phoebe: Yeah, because what if your rutabaga keeps us from doing our job, keeps us from saving innocent people? What happens then?

Piper: Uh, yeah, but what about me? I mean, maybe you're right, maybe I'm being selfish, but... what's wrong with that? I mean, when do we get to do something for ourselves? Haven't you ever _wondered_ that, or _wanted_ that?

Phoebe: Yeah, absolutely, but not at the expense of hurting other people or each other.

Piper: Is that what you're afraid of? Getting hurt?

Phoebe: No, Piper, I'm afraid that you're _not_ afraid of getting hurt.

Piper: I've been through more pain in the past two years than you can imagine and this is the only way to stop that. Now, I'd _like_ to do the right thing, but I also want to be with him.

(Piper closes the Book of Shadows and the owl feather falls onto the floor. Phoebe picks it up and has a premonition of Chris being attacked by a wolf.)

Prue: What is it? What did you see?

Phoebe: Our innocent, and I think that he was being attacked by a coyote or a wolf.

[Scene: Forest. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there looking for Chris.]

Phoebe: Alright, wait a minute, I think that this looks like the place... sorta.

Piper: That's funny, because I remember it looking like the right place sorta three hours ago.

Phoebe: Okay, look, if you wanted a supernatural _LoJack_ , you came to the wrong witch. _Oh_ , wait, look, that is where Christopher was standing in my premonition.

(A wolf is lurking in the bushes.)

Piper: Shh, shh, what was that?

(They see Chris.)

Prue: There he is.

Phoebe: Hey!

(The wolf runs out and barks at the girls.)

Chris: No!

(The wolf runs over to Chris.)

Phoebe: Okay, Piper, you have to freeze him.

Prue: Wait.

Chris: (to the wolf) We don't have much time, my love. Someone's coming.

Prue: He's not attacking.

(They run into an old house and face each other. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe watch from outside. As the sun rises, the wolf turns into a naked woman and Chris turns into an owl.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Continued from before. The woman (Brooke), now dressed, runs out of the house. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe follow.]

Prue: Wait! Christopher wanted us to talk to you!

Phoebe: He did?

Prue: I'm vamping. It's the only way to get her to stop. Look, we met him last night, right before he went after the sorcerer. We tried to stop him, but without your help, he'll do it again and we both know what will happen if he does.

Brooke: He'll die. How do I know that you're not working for him?

Prue: You don't. But you guys can't do it alone, so you're just gonna have to trust us.

Brooke: _Trust is earned_.

Phoebe: Okay, I hate to break up the whole getting to know you portion of the program, but what did Christopher mean when he said someone was coming?

Brooke: If Christopher went after him, then he must've sent someone after us.

Piper: Why?

Brooke: Because he fell in love with me. This, this curse is my punishment for not returning that love.

Piper: So woman by day and wolf by night?

(The owl flies past them.)

Brooke: He's warning me. We have to go.

Piper: Huh? Oh, alright.

(They start running. The boss's assistant appears with a crossbow and shoots arrows at them.)

Assistant: Where is he?!

Prue: That's the _least_ of your problems.

(Prue uses her power and he goes flying. He runs away.)

Phoebe: Have we earned your trust yet? Come on.

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Brooke walk inside.]

Piper: I swear to god I've seen this in a movie somewhere.

Prue: Uh, Phoebs?

Phoebe: Upstairs, Book of Shadows, curse search, way ahead of ya.

Prue: (to Brooke) Uh, okay, you and I are gonna go to the kitchen.

Brooke: I'm fine, really. Let me help.

Prue: Look, you are _tired_ and _hungry_. Please, just let me help.

(They walk in the kitchen.)

Phoebe: (to Piper) Wanna take a wiccan time out and do the crossword puzzle? (Piper gives her a look.) Piper, uh, about what I said before, I didn't mean….

Piper: Yes, you did. You never say anything you don't mean.

Phoebe: You keep saying that it isn't like what you'd imagined, and I _do_ understand your side of it. I mean, I have never seen anyone look at you the way that Leo does, and that is _beautiful_ , and you deserve that, but I still…. I, um, I can't say that it's right. And I wish that I were wrong, and it's important that you know that.

Piper: The problem is you're not. There's truth to it, to what you said. I can't deny that. So unless both you and Prue approve it, I won't go through with it.

(Piper walks in the kitchen and Phoebe goes upstairs.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Brooke is reading a note left on the fridge.]

Brooke: We used to leave each other notes. When this, when this first happened. I'd find them at sunrise and I'd know, I'd remember all the reasons why I loved him. And then….

Prue: The letters stopped.

Brooke: There's a limit, you know, to how much any person can take. (She looks out the window.) You keep wondering…. (The owl lands on the back of a chair outside.) You keep asking yourself…

Piper: … shouldn't love conquer all?

Prue: You know this isn't fair. I mean, it's hard enough to find somebody that you can spend the rest of your life with, but when you constantly have magic meddling? I am so sick of it. I mean, I've been through it, you're going through it, and now Brooke? What love can't conquer we will.

Piper: For everybody but ourselves.

Prue: Honey, the day's not over yet.

Piper: We're gonna need your help if you want this to end happily ever after. I know I could use a happy ending.

[Scene: Boss's office. The boss and his assistant are there. The assistant is holding a blood-soaked bag.]

Boss: You come bearing gifts.

Assistant: I come bearing victory.

Boss: That's an awfully small bag for such an awfully large prey. If you'd killed the right bird, we'd be looking at a dead human bleeding on my floor right now. You're foolish. Or deceitful. Either way, you _failed_.

Assistant: He had help!

Boss: From _whom_? A pigeon, perhaps? Maybe a... penguin... to the rescue?

Assistant: _Witches!_ And now they're with her.

Boss: Their choice in company is not relevant. The fact that he still lives _is_. I wanted blood on my hands. I don't have his, so I guess I'll have to take yours. (The assistant is engulfed in flames and turns into a pile of ash on the floor. The boss talks into the speaker phone.) Clean up, aisle two. (Another assistant appears.) Congratulations. You've just been promoted.

[Scene: Manor. In the backyard. Prue, Piper, and Brooke are there. Brooke walks over to the owl.]

Brooke: I took a job. It was an established firm with a reputation for promoting from within. (She picks up the owl.) My boss was this odd man. I'd worked for nightmares before, but nothing like this. He made moves, I made things clear, he made me this.

Piper: To keep you away from Christopher?

Brooke: He said if he couldn't have me, no one would. Until there was a night within a day, or until I give in. I never thought…. Magic was for kids' parties, it wasn't real. I didn't know.

Piper: We're still kind of getting used to it ourselves.

Brooke: But this, this is my fault.

Prue: No, you said yes to a job, not to a man.

Brooke: But Christopher is being punished _because of me_. _I_ did this to him.

Prue: That's not what he said. He doesn't blame you for _anything_ and he said…

Piper: … how strong you are.

Brooke: He said that?

(Piper nods.)

Prue: He said that it's your strength that he first fell in love with. And he just needs to know that you're not gonna give that up.

[Cut to the attic. Phoebe is looking through the Book of Shadows.]

Phoebe: Anything, anything. I curse you, you curse me, let's get together, and do a little cursing. (The pages start flipping by themselves.) Whoa! (The pages stop on the "Handfasting" spell.) Okay, alright, you know, I specifically asked for a-

Grams' Voice: You asked for an answer. There it is.

Phoebe: I _know_ that voice.

(Grams' spirit appears.)

Grams: Well, I should hope so. Yours came through loud and clear, so, here I am.

Phoebe: _Grams._ (She walks over to her.) Oh, I would hug you but….

Grams: I know. It's just good to be here.

Phoebe: Yeah, and not that I'm not thrilled by that fact, but I'm a little fuzzy on the why.

Grams: You need guidance, some advice on a certain sister situation. Am I getting warm?

Phoebe: _Red hot_. But, wait a minute, if you know, that means that they know, and if they know then we are f-

Grams: Fine. Anyway, I'm beyond them now. Secret's safe with me. But what about you, Phoebe? Do you want to tell me about that nagging concern you have in your gut?

Phoebe: That's not fair. You have afterlife advantage.

Grams: I also know you, Phoebe. Talk to me.

Phoebe: Okay. (She sits down on a chair.) Uh. I wanna be able to support Piper in this. I want to look at her, and I wanna say 'Go for it', but, what if her and Leo get rutabaga- _ed_ , and they find out, and then something horrible happens to them? I mean, look at what happened to mom and her... special friend. And I hate to go skipping down selfish road, but what if by association….?

Grams: …. You and Prue get hurt.

Phoebe: Yeah. I wanna be supportive to her, Grams, I _really_ do, but _everything_ in my heart is telling me that it's wrong.

Grams: All valid points, but logic and reason go out the window when love gets involved.

Phoebe: Yes, I know that, but-

Grams: The Charmed Ones are destined for greatness. But that fact doesn't keep a girl warm on a cold winter's night.

Phoebe: So add a blanket! Grams, I can't believe you're saying this.

Grams: I'm saying what I know. I remember the loneliness all too well.

Phoebe: You were married _four times_.

Grams: Well, that's because I never found _true love_ , but maybe Piper has, and when the time comes for them to make it official, they'll feel it. They'll _know_.

Prue: (from downstairs) Phoebe?!

Phoebe: Coming! (Grams disappears.) Thank you.

[Cut to downstairs. The assistant is chasing them around the house with a crossbow. Piper gets stuck against the wall with two arrows stuck on her sleeves. Phoebe walks downstairs and he shoots an arrow near her. Phoebe gasps. Prue uses her power and he crashes into a cupboard.]

Piper: Phoebs, a little help here, please. (Prue and Phoebe pull out the arrows.) Okay, he could've killed me.

Phoebe: Us.

Prue: The question is, why didn't he?

Assistant: Because I don't want you. I want the bird. Where is he hiding?!

(Brooke runs into the room and the assistant points the crossbow at her. The owl flies in front of her as he shoots, hitting the owl.)

Brooke: No!

(Prue uses her power and an arrow flies into the assistant. He disappears in a puff of smoke. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe run over to Brooke. Brooke is crying. She picks up the owl.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Everyone's there sitting on the couch. Brooke is holding the owl.]

Prue: He'll be alright.

Brooke: I know that's that's the right thing for you to say, but you don't know that. Now all I can do is watch him die.

Prue: No, we can do a lot more than that.

Piper: You know I can't, not now, not while they're watching.

Prue: Piper, this has absolutely _nothing_ to do with us and _everything_ to do with an innocent.

Piper: (Piper closes her eyes and Leo orbs in.) Leo, we, uh-

Leo: I know. They told me about the bad guys. The vanquishing talk caught their ears, not the other thing.

Prue: Leo's a healer.

(Leo walks over to Brooke and the owl.)

Leo: I can't heal animals.

Phoebe: Well, we can't take him to the vet.

Piper: He's not exactly an animal.

(Leo tries to heal the owl.)

Prue: He is until sunset.

Phoebe: So you're saying we have to wait?

Leo: I'm sorry.

(The doorbell rings. Prue answers it.)

Cole: 1329 Prescott Street. (He holds out the bag of books. Prue looks confused.) On the receipt. In the bag. (He looks for it.) It was there. That sounded much better in my head.

(Prue laughs.)

Prue: They gave you our books and you thought you'd drop them by.

Cole: That wasn't so hard when you said it. I actually need the ones I bought, so if you don't mind I….

Prue: Of course you do, okay. (Prue goes to get the books. Cole starts to follow but she stops him.) Oh, actually, uh, you know, my sister sort of got into it today, so the place is a disaster, it's like a bomb went off. So if you don't mind just waiting here, that would be great. (She closes the door, gets the books, and opens the door back up.) Hi! (She hands them to him.) So, you going back to the office?

Cole: Justice must be served, right?

Prue: Tell me about it.

(Leo walks into the foyer.)

Leo: Prue, everything okay? I was starting to get... worried. Hey.

Prue: Um, Cole, Leo. Leo, Cole.

Leo: Nice to meet you.

(They shake hands and some of Leo's Whitelighter dust rubs off onto Cole's hand.)

Cole: Pleasure.

Leo: Sorry to, uh-

Cole: No, no, I was just leaving. I really need to go take care of some business. (Leo and Prue go back inside. Cole walks down the stairs. He puts his suitcase down and gets a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket. He wipes his hand.) Whitelighters always were messy. (to his shadow) _Report this!_ (His shadow floats down the stairs and goes down a drain.)

[Cut back to the living room.]

Piper: Did you ever think, did you ever consider that maybe it wasn't meant to be? (Prue and Leo walk in.) Things happen for a reason, right? Maybe it's not worth the risk to be together.

Brooke: If you don't take the risk for love, then what do you take it for?

(Prue clears her throat. Leo walks outside.)

Piper: Leo, wait.

(She goes after him.)

[Cut to outside. Leo is walking down the stairs. Piper follows.]

Piper: Leo, wait, you can't do that. You cannot come into the end of a conversation and assume that you know everything.

Leo: Alright, let's pretend that I don't know anything. Then explain it to me.

Piper: I wasn't questioning _you_ , I was questioning our decision.

Leo: Then ask me your questions.

Piper: Don't you think I would like to?

Leo: Honestly, I don't know what you're thinking.

Piper: Well, what I'm thinking is maybe Phoebe is right. Maybe we're being selfish. Our decision affects other people, other people that I happen to love.

Leo: I love them too, Piper.

Piper: I know. I know that. Look, you are the last person I wanna be fighting with right now.

Leo: Then let's stop.

Piper: Leo, if we get... if you and... Okay, let me try that again. Brooke and Christopher love each other very much, but in the end that didn't matter.

Leo: We haven't reached the end yet. Have a little faith. Don't you think this scares _me_ too? Don't you think that I have _my_ doubts?

Piper: _Do you?_

Leo: Of course I do. What I'm trying to say is I know what Christopher must feel. You know, always worried about the timing, about how he has to live his life, knowing what his true feelings are, but unable to share those with the one person that he has them for.

Piper: She _knows_ , but it doesn't fix everything.

Phoebe: (off camera) You've gotta give it a chance. (Phoebe is standing on the lawn holding a small blackboard.) Logic and reason go out the window when love gets involved. (She holds up the blackboard and "You have my blessing" is written on it.)

Piper: Wait a minute. I thought you said that-

Phoebe: Yeah, well, I got a long distance call with some really good advice.

Piper: But we still haven't figured out how to pull it off.

Phoebe: When the time's right, you'll know.

[Cut back to the living room. Brooke is there still holding the owl.]

Brooke: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I can't let you die. Please forgive me, please forgive me.

(She puts him on the couch.)

[Cut back outside. Phoebe is looking up at the sky.]

Piper: That's quite a turnaround for you, sis. Who's your new confidante?

Phoebe: Huh?

Leo: I think she means your advice giver.

Phoebe: Uh, it was just... oh my God.

(She blocks her face with the blackboard.)

Piper: Nice try, Phoebs, but the distraction technique stopped working in third grade.

Phoebe: No, it's not a technique. It's an eclipse. Look at it. (They do so.) No, wait, don't look at it. Trust me. I totally forgot that the eclipse was to... day. A night within a day.

Piper: I'm sorry, please repeat.

Phoebe: The curse, the eclipse. Until a night within a day. Isn't that what Brooke said? That's what's gonna break the curse. (She runs inside.) Prue, it's happening.

[Cut to the living room. The owl s has turned back into Chris. Everyone walks in.]

Prue: Leo, it just happened. Please help him.

Phoebe: This proves the theory. It's the eclipse.

(Chris tries to sit up.)

Leo: Whoa, whoa, you're not going anywhere.

Chris: Brooke.

Prue: Just rest, okay, we'll tell her.

Chris: You can't, she's gone.

Phoebe: What do you mean she's gone? She was in the kitchen when I left.

Prue: She's gone to him, hasn't she? (Chris nods.) Alright, we'll handle it while Leo works on you.

(Leo walks over to Chris. He pulls out the arrow and heals him.)

Chris: Thank you.

Piper: I don't understand. Why would Brooke go to him?

Chris: She didn't trust that you would be able to save me, but she knows that she can.

Phoebe: How?

Chris: The curse. If at anytime she agrees to be with him, seals the pledge with a kiss…

Piper: … she'll be forever bound.

Phoebe: But the eclipse changes that.

Prue: Yeah, but she doesn't know that.

[Scene: Boss's office. The boss and three men are there.]

Boss: If he's off the radar, then he's more than failed, which leaves a space open for one of you to fill, and you do that by _killing the owl_!

(Brooke walks in.)

Brooke: I was hoping you would take me instead.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Continued from before. Brooke and the boss are now facing each other.]

Brooke: Aren't you going to kiss me?

Boss: Brooke, I may be cheap, but I'm not easy. No, wait, yes I am. You're only doing this to save him, aren't you? That's okay, it's quite obvious. You know what? I don't care. You'll grow to love me.

Brooke: I have your assurance that Chris will not be harmed again?

Boss: _You have my love_. Isn't that enough?

[Cut to outside. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Chris walk in the building. Piper freezes everyone. They start walking up the corridor.]

Phoebe: T minus and counting.

Piper: Then we get to break into Attica.

Phoebe: Well, we do have other choices. We can climb the roof, or see if there's a convenient and unguarded side entrance. Or we could use the Wonder Twin powers.

(Piper stops.)

Piper: Ugh. I don't feel so….

Prue: What is it?

Piper: I don't know, I don't have a good feeling about this. Wait a minute, I take that back. I _do_ have a good feeling about it, about... something. I feel all... warm and... fuzzy.

Prue: Is it your stomach?

Piper: No, it's... here. (She pats her chest.)

Phoebe: When the time is right, you'll know. Oh my god, the time is right.

Prue: The time for what?

Phoebe: The, uh, the wed... the rutabaga. It's gotta be the eclipse. If we can't look up, that must mean that they can't look down.

(Prue gets all excited.)

Prue: Oh! Oh! Oh! Ooh, this is it, this is it. Okay, all we have to do is get home and…

Phoebe: … and do the ritual, and let Leo know, and call the florist and we gotta get d-d- (Piper stops her.) What's, what?

Piper: We've gotta get to Brooke.

Phoebe: Right. We've gotta get to Brooke and then we gotta get home.

Piper: No. We only have time for one. So we either save Brooke-

Chris: Piper, go home. Of all people, I understand this, alright, and so would Brooke. I can handle this on my own.

Piper: No. Alright, we'll go in the front.

[Cut back to the boss's office. He and Brooke are leaning in ready to kiss. The door flies open.]

Boss: Oh, look, it's the girl scouts. Set your thin mints down on the table and leave before you get yourselves hurt.

Prue: Let her go.

Boss: I have no fear of witches.

Prue: Maybe not, but how do you feel about true love?

(Brooke sees Chris and they smile.)

Boss: That's not possible. (Chris and Brooke walk over to each other.) If I can't have her, _no one will_!

(A crossbow appears in the boss's hand.)

Piper: Whoa. (She freezes them.)

Phoebe: Anyone got a vanquish in their pocket?

Prue: Oh, let's not get rid of him just yet. I want him to watch this for a little bit. (She uses her power and the crossbow flies out of his hand.) Okay, go ahead.

(Piper unfreezes them and Chris and Brooke kiss. The boss starts to burn and disappears. Chris and Brooke hug.)

Brooke: I don't know what to say.

Chris: How can we thank you?

Prue: You already have.

Phoebe: Oh, Piper, I think I have a solution to the whole maid of honor thing.

Prue: Oh, me too.

Piper: What about our distinct lack of a high priestess?

Phoebe: Would you _please_ just let me worry about that?

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Grams and Leo are standing there. Leo is dressed in a suit.]

Grams: Girls, your high priestess is waiting. Unfortunately, the eclipse is not. Now let's move it. (She uses her power and wedding music plays in the CD player.) That would be your cue, maids of honor.

(Prue and Phoebe, who are all dressed up, walk down the stairs. They stand at the bottom of the stairs. Piper walks down wearing a light blue dress and holding a bouquet. Leo smiles. She stops at the bottom of the stairs.)

Prue: You look beautiful. I know it's not exactly how you wanted it.

Piper: But it's exactly what I wanted. (She looks over at Leo and they smile. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk into the living room. Piper stands in front of Leo. They smile again. All of a sudden, Leo starts jerking. He yells, is surrounded by light, and is forcibly orbed out.) Grams, how can this happen? What did we do? (She starts to panic.)

Grams: Listen to me, darling, it's going to be _okay_. We will _fix_ this.

(Piper starts crying.)

Piper: We-we have to. (Prue and Phoebe hold her arms.) This-this is all my fault. (She kneels on the floor and so do Prue and Phoebe.) He doesn't deserve to be…. I don't…. I don't think that I can do this.

(She cries harder and Prue and Phoebe comfort her.)

[Scene: A dark place. Three hooded men are standing in a circle with Cole in the middle.]

Hooded Man #1: You do good work.

Hooded Man #2: To get close to the Halliwell's with no suspicion... splendid.

Hooded Man #3: And we were pleased that you informed us of the witch's nuptials.

Cole: The pleasure was mine.

Hooded Man #2: And the pleasure was theirs when the information was shared.

Hooded Man #1: You got useful knowledge of the Charmed Ones, now you must gain their trust. Others have failed.

Cole: Others weren't me.

Hooded Man #3: So, what is next?

Cole: The wedding was child's play, a perk if you will. I'm focusing my attentions on... Prue. She's my way in. You sent me to find out how to destroy them. I'd say we're well on our way.


	3. Once Upon a Time

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

 **Once Upon a Time**

[Scene: P3. The club is full of people. Piper is at the bar. Leo walks up to her. She smiles.]

Piper: I knew you'd come back.

Leo: Piper-

Piper: Phoebe was worried, Prue was a wreck, but I knew you'd find a way.

Leo: We need to talk.

Piper: Leo, you haven't kissed me in over a week. Don't you think maybe that takes priority?

(She walks around the bar and kisses Leo.)

Leo: I came to say goodbye.

Piper: What?

Leo: They told us to break up. They caught us trying to get married.

Piper: So we won't get married. We'll wait.

Leo: (his voice echoing) It's too late. We broke the rules and now they won't let us see each other again.

Piper: Wait a minute, they won't what?

Leo: I don't care what they do to me, but I couldn't bare anything happening to you. I shouldn't even be here right now.

(He starts backing away.)

Piper: Wait a minute, Leo, I can't hear you. _What_ are you saying?

Leo: You have to forget about me.

Piper: No. (Leo mouths "I love you" to her. He orbs out and everyone dancing stops and looks at Piper.) Leo! Leo!

(Prue runs over to Piper and shakes her.)

Prue: Piper. Piper, _wake up_. Piper.

[Cut to Piper's bedroom. Prue's there trying to wake Piper up. Piper sits up.)

Piper: Leo's not coming back.

Prue: Honey, it was just a bad dream.

(Piper starts crying.)

Piper: No, it wasn't, it was real. I don't understand why they are doing this to us. It's like _destroying lives_ is how they _amuse_ themselves.

Prue: Piper, watch what you say.

Piper: Why? What are they gonna do to me? They couldn't hurt me more than they already have.

(They hug.)

[Cut to Phoebe in Prue's car. She has the stereo up loud. Her phone rings and she answers it.]

Phoebe: Don't you just _love_ cell phones?

Prue: Hey, uh, it's me.

Phoebe: It's amazing how much stress you can project with so few words, Prue. I will have your precious car home momentarily.

Prue: Phoebe, I am not calling about the car, I'm calling about Piper. Look, um, she had this dream about Leo, and maybe I'm overreacting, but I've never seen her like this. It-it's like she's completely given up.

Phoebe: What kind of dream about Le _oooo_?! (She slams on the brakes to avoid a little girl standing on the road.)

Prue: Phoebe?

Phoebe: I'm fine, car's fine. I'll see you later. Bye. (She hangs up, gets out of the car, and runs over to the girl. She is clutching onto a small box.) Hi, are you okay?

Girl: You can't have it, leave me alone, I won't give it to you, leave me alone!

(Phoebe looks to see what she is yelling at, but sees nothing. The girl runs away and Phoebe runs after her. The girl trips over. She hears voices and something invisible scratches her arm. She screams. Phoebe kneels down next to her and holds her.)

Phoebe: It's okay, it's okay. You're safe.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Phoebe and the girl (Kate) are there. Kate's sitting at the table still holding the box. Phoebe places a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies on the table.]

Phoebe: Okay, you just have to be very careful because it's hot, so blow on it, okay?

(Prue and Piper stand at the doorway.)

Prue: Hey, did you find out anything more from her?

Phoebe: Name, rank, and serial number.

Piper: Uh, her parents are on their way. They live up the street. (to Kate) They were very worried about you.

Phoebe: I gotta go to the car and get her jacket. (She walks over to the key hook.) Uh, keys?

Prue: What?

Phoebe: You know, silver shiny things that go jingle jingle.

Prue: I don't have them.

Phoebe: That's so weird. I put them up here.

Kate: The fairies probably hid them.

Phoebe: What was that?

Kate: Sorry. I'm not supposed to talk about fairies.

Phoebe: Um, you know what? In this house, you can talk about anything you want. Sometimes we talk about weird things too.

Kate: Well, that's what fairies do. Hide your keys and things. They're tricky like that.

Phoebe: Um, is that what's in that box? Is it a fairy? Is that who you're protecting?

(The doorbell rings. Prue goes to answer it.)

Piper: That's probably your mom and your dad.

Kate: He's not my dad. He's just my mom's new husband.

[Cut to the foyer. Prue opens the door.]

Kate's Mom: Hi, we're Kate's parents.

Kate's Stepdad: Is she alright?

Prue: Yeah, she's fine. I mean, she scraped her arm a little bit, but mostly she's just scared.

(Piper, Phoebe, and Kate walk into the foyer.)

Kate's Stepdad: Kate.

Kate: Get out of the doorway!

Kate's Mom: Kate….

Kate: It's an in-between, get out of the in-between!

Phoebe: What's an in-between?

Kate: It's where the trolls are.

Kate's Mom: Honey, we've had this conversation before. You're a big girl and it's time to stop believing in things like that. She's had some problems since her father and I divorced. Regressed sort of, back to the imaginary friend stage.

Kate's Stepdad: Look, uh, we should go. It's late. Thank you again for everything.

Kate: They'll get us.

Kate's Stepdad: I won't let them. It's okay.

(He picks up Kate and she sees a troll hanging onto the door frame.)

Kate: Look, there it is.

(Kate's stepdad carries her outside.)

Kate's Mom: Thank you.

Prue: You're welcome.

(She leaves.)

[Time lapse. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are in the kitchen. Piper's making some coffee.]

Piper: Come on, Phoebe, trolls and fairies? You don't believe that stuff.

Phoebe: Sure, why not?

Piper: Well, maybe it's time we tell her about Santa.

Phoebe: All I know is something was definitely after her.

Piper: But you didn't see anything?

Phoebe: No, but how else did she get hurt?

Piper: How about she fell down and scratched herself?

Phoebe: No, Piper, they weren't _scratches_ , they were claw marks.

Piper: If they were, you would've seen what had _clawed_ her. Why are you being so stubborn about this?

Phoebe: Because I'm a Scorpio. What's your excuse?

Prue: Okay, so it's kind of late and, um, we're all a bit tired, so how about we finish up tomorrow?

Phoebe: Now look what you did. You went and turned Prue into the middle child.

Piper: Okay, Phoebe, even if fairies and trolls do exist, you heard what her mom said. The problems started when her father left. That's psychology, not magic.

Phoebe: I know. But you know what? I'm gonna check the Book of Shadows, just in case. 'Cause I don't wanna be out-stubborned by a Gemini.

[Scene: Kate's house. Kate's room. Kate's mom kisses her goodnight. She goes to turn off the light, but Kate stops her.]

Kate: No, don't! The tweens. They come out of the shadows.

Kate's Mom: _Honey_ , just go to sleep, okay.

(She turns off the light and closes the door. Kate sits on her bed, still holding on to the box.)

Kate: Please. Go away. (She hears noises.) Leave us alone.

(Things move around in her bedroom. The door opens and she screams.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Phoebe's sitting on the floor reading a book. Prue walks in.]

Prue: Hey.

(Phoebe picks up some drawings.)

Phoebe: Check this out. (Prue looks at the drawings. They are drawings of fairies and trolls.) We each drew one.

Prue: Lily.

Phoebe: Do you remember her? She was our imaginary friend we had when we were kids.

Prue: I have not thought about Lily in years.

Phoebe: That's because you grew up and you stopped seeing her. Okay…. (She reads from the book.) 'Fairies, elves, and trolls are mystical creatures that live in a realm parallel to ours, but separated by a thin veil.'

(Prue looks at the cover of the book.)

Prue: "The Enchanted Realm"?

Phoebe: 'A thin veil which lives only in tween places.' Tween places, Prue. That's like a realm in between two things. Like... doorways and windows, um, shadows.

Prue: Shadows?

Phoebe: In between light and dark. And it's exactly what Kate said. Trolls live in the in-between.

Prue: Right, but when you found Kate she wasn't _in_ an in-between.

Phoebe: Actually, she was in the _biggest_ in between of all. Midnight. 'In the hour between night and day, the world itself becomes a tween.

Prue: Okay, so why isn't there anything in the Book of Shadows?

Phoebe: Because the Book of Shadows was written by adults. And I'm assuming that scary dude in your picture is a troll.

Prue: So then why is he trying to hurt Kate?

Phoebe: I don't know. We have to ask Kate. And we will fill Piper in on the way.

(The phone rings.)

Prue: You know, maybe we should do this one on our own. You know, I mean, Piper's kind of out of it.

Phoebe: Even more reason to drag her along. Take her mind off of Leo.

Piper: (from downstairs) Prue, phone! (Prue and Phoebe run downstairs, Phoebe holding onto the drawings.) It's your little lawyer boyfriend.

(Phoebe hands her the drawings as Piper hands Prue the phone.)

Phoebe: So there.

Prue: And he is not my boyfriend.

Piper: Weird.

(Piper walks away.)

Prue: (into the phone) Hello?

Cole: Who's not your boyfriend?

Prue: Um... the mailman. Uh, yeah, sometimes Piper likes to tease me because I like to get the mail a lot. So, how are you?

Cole: Well, it's a beautiful morning and I got a beautiful woman on the phone, so things could be worse. God, I sound like Billy Appleby.

Prue: What?

Cole: Nothing.

Prue: No, wait, what did you just say?

[Cut to Cole in his office. He has some information about Phoebe written on a sheet of paper.]

Cole: Billy Appleby's just this hokey guy from this old movie I watched one too many times when I was a kid.

(He points to a highlighted sentence on the sheet of paper.)

Prue/Cole: "Kill It Before It Dies".

Cole: You've seen it?

Prue: Once or twice.

Cole: Really? Too bad it's not playing, I'd take you to see it.

[Cut back to Prue. She mouths "I love you" to the phone.]

Cole: Of course we could always have dinner instead.

Prue: Are you asking me out, counselor?

[Cut back to Cole.]

Cole: Guilty. (He turns the page to show a map of the manor and where the Book of Shadows is.) How about tonight? I could stop by your place.

[Cut back to Prue.]

Prue: Uh, really, uh, well…. (Piper puts on her coat. Phoebe motions to Prue to hurry.) Um, actually tonight's not good because Piper's going through something, but I will call you, and maybe we can meet at the club. (Phoebe snatches the phone off of Prue.) Sorry! Bye! (Piper grabs her keys and Prue and Phoebe stand in front of her.)

Phoebe: Did you not look at those drawings?

Piper: They're cute, yes.

Phoebe: Cute? _Cute_? We all had the same invisible fairy friend, Piper. That is _proof_ that fairies exist.

(Piper tries to walk around them but they don't let her.)

Piper: _Actually_ , what it proves is that _one of us_ had a really fertile imagination and the _other two_ were really big _copycats_.

Prue: Okay, Piper, honey, just listen to me, okay. Um, we think that Kate is in trouble, _our_ kind of trouble.

Piper: Okay, well, I don't. And after what they did to Leo, I'm not really all that motivated to go dig up demons for them.

Phoebe: Trolls.

Piper: Whatever. Look, you guys can do whatever you want, but I've had it, and I'm done.

Prue: What does that mean?

Piper: It means that the Powers That Be haven't done anything but ruin my life, so therefore I'm not gonna do anything for them anymore, okay. I'm going now, excuse me, I'm going now.

(She pushes past them and leaves.)

Phoebe: I think she's on strike.

[Scene: Kate's house. Kate's room. She is drawing pictures of the trolls. There is a knock on the door and her stepdad walks in.]

Kate's Stepdad: Kate, someone's here to see you.

(Prue and Phoebe walk in, Prue's holding the drawings.)

Prue: Hey, so, um, we brought you your jacket. We had to use the spare key to get into the car though. I guess the fairies hid them after all.

Kate: Told you.

Phoebe: What are you drawing? That looks like a very scary cave.

Prue: You know, _that_ looks a lot like mine.

(She shows her the drawing.)

Kate: That's a fairy and a troll. My mom says I'm making them up, but I'm not.

Prue: Well, we believe you, okay. We just need you to tell us everything you know so that we can help.

Kate: I don't know that much. Thistle's kind of hard to understand. Fairies don't talk the same way people do.

Phoebe: Thistle?

Kate: I saved her. See, the fairies are the bosses of the enchanted kingdom, but the trolls thought that _they_ were the bosses, so they kidnapped Thistle from the King and Queen of the fairies.

Phoebe: So Thistle is a princess?

Kate: Mmm hmm. But the trolls were gonna kill her unless her parents handed over the kingdom.

Phoebe: It's a miniature coup d'état.

Kate: But I found her tied up in the cave and I saved her.

Prue: That was very brave of you.

Kate: But now the trolls hate me because I won't give her back. Most of the times I can stay out of the in betweens, but at midnight….

Phoebe: There's no place to hide. Yeah, I know.

Prue: Can we see her?

Kate: No, only children can see fairies.

Phoebe: Well, I don't know if this is gonna help, but Prue and I are _very_ in touch with our inner children.

Prue: Can we at least try?

Kate: We'll have to go into an in-between. Watch out for trolls.

Prue: Okay.

(Kate unlocks the box with a key hanging around her neck. She sits the box on the window sill, looks around, and then opens the lid of the box. They don't see her and Prue shakes her head. Kate shuts the lid.)

Kate: You can't help if you can't see her. (She holds the box close to her ear and listens.) Thistle says that if you _really_ believe in fairies, there's something that'll make you innocent again so you can see them. (Kate opens the lid, grabs a handful of fairy dust, and throws it on Prue and Phoebe. They burst out laughing.) I think it worked.

Prue: (in a childish voice) I wanna see the fairy.

(Kate opens the lid again and a little pink fairy flies out of the box. They stare at it with their eyes wide and mouths open.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. The place is nearly empty. People are leaving. Prue and Phoebe, acting like children, are on stage singing songs. Piper walks down the stairs and is shocked by what she sees.]

Piper: _Oh my God_.

Prue/Phoebe: (singing) 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hands. If you're happy and you know it... pat your knee.' (They pat their knee) 'If you're happy and you know it pat your knee.'

Phoebe: (to the people watching) You guys gotta do it.

(Prue and Phoebe continue singing. Piper walks up to Abbey.)

Piper: What the _hell_ is going on?

Abbey: You think this is bad? You should've been here for Frere Jacques. They've been acting like kids since they got here. I didn't serve them, I swear.

Piper: Alright, put on some music, _any_ music, and _kill_ that microphone.

(Piper walks over to Prue and Phoebe.)

Phoebe: Hi.

Piper: Hi. Lost your minds?

Prue: Piper, we have been waiting and waiting and waiting….

Phoebe: Yeah, and you know what we did? We saw a fairy and she was very cute and she was sparkly and she was really, really pretty.

(Piper freezes everyone.)

Piper: Okay, what ass-backward spell did you guys cast?

Prue: We-we-we didn't cast a spell.

Phoebe: No, it is true we did not cast a spell, but we did use fairy dust.

Piper: _Fairy dust?_

Phoebe: Yep.

Piper: Okay, great, so you can go home now and reverse it, Tinkerbell.

Phoebe: No, no. No, I am not a fairy. She thought I was a…. We have to show her. Okay.

(Phoebe pulls a small pouch out of her pocket and they get a pinch of fairy dust out of it.)

Prue: Ready? Okay, go.

Phoebe: One, two, three.

(They throw the fairy dust in Piper's face and she sneezes.)

Piper: What the _hell_ did you do that for?

Phoebe: Dat did not work.

Piper: No. Work, that's a very good idea. I'm gonna get back to work now.

(She unfreezes everyone and walks away. Prue and Phoebe follow her.)

Phoebe: Oh, you know what? You are being a big, big, big, extra, extra, extra, _double_ big jerk right now. (A strand of hair is on Prue's face and she tries to grab it with her tongue.) Because now I have the key, (she shows her the key hanging around her neck) so Thistle is safe and we have to be back with Kate at midnight so when the trolls attack-

Piper: No. You guys are going home, and you're not driving either 'cause someone will think you're... drunk or something. So go outside, and wait there, and I will call a cab.

Prue: Oh….

Piper: Shh shh, no.

(Phoebe plays with the zipper on her jacket. Prue starts whining.)

Prue: Why are you being so _meeeaan_?

Piper: Because I don't want you to…. (Phoebe hugs her.) Stop it. (Phoebe kisses her on the cheek.) You're trying to _trick_ me into ending my strike. (Prue hugs her as well.) And it's not gonna work. You guys go home. Scoot. Go home. Scoot. And you go home and you reverse this _ridiculous_ behaviour.

(They let go of her and walk towards the door. They turn around and stick their tongues out at Piper. They walk through the doorway and Phoebe dodges a troll. They jump on the ground.)

Prue: Are you okay?

Phoebe: Yeah. Trolls. They must know that we have the key now.

Prue: Okay, they're very scary, but they're gonna come after us instead of Kate at midnight, so alls we have to do is go home and wait for them.

Phoebe: Okay.

[Cut back inside P3. Piper finds Leo's Valentine's Day card from the episode "Animal Pragmatism" under the cash register. She looks at it and then puts it back under the register.]

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Phoebe are running through the house.]

Phoebe: Geez, Louise, there are _too_ _many_ doorways in this house.

Prue: Okay, we have to call Kate on the walkie-talkies, okay? (They start up the stairs but stop when the doorbell rings.) Oh, do you think the trolls know about doorbells?

Phoebe: I don't know.

(They cautiously walk up to the door. Phoebe opens it and Cole's there bent over at the waist.)

Prue: Cooooole!

(He stands up.)

Cole: _Hey_ , you're home.

Prue: Yes.

(Prue leans forward near the doorway.)

Phoebe: Ooh, ooh, tween!

Prue: Um, excuse me, but you were not supposed to meet me here, you were supposed to meet me at the club, 'member?

Cole: Was that the plan?

Prue: Yes, that was the plan.

Cole: Sorry, long day.

Prue: 'Kay, bye, close the door behind you.

Phoebe: Bye!

Prue: Bye!

(They run off.)

Cole: Um...,. (They stop and back into each other.) It's a long drive home. Do you think I could use your restroom?

Phoebe: Number 1 or number 2?

(Prue laughs.)

Prue: He has to go tootie.

Cole: Excuse me?

Prue: Okay, you can come in, but you have to do it very fast whatever it is.

[Time lapse. Cole walks in the bathroom. He locks the door. He shimmers and reappears in the attic. He sees the Book of Shadows.]

[Cut back to Phoebe and Prue. They are standing in the hallway. Prue is holding a walkie-talkie.]

Prue: Kate, Kate, come in, Kate, it's Pwue.

[Cut to Kate's. She is standing in her room, clutching onto the box, looking very frightened. She can hear the trolls.]

Prue: Kate, are you there?

Kate: Prue, where are you?

Prue: We're at home. The dust didn't work on Piper.

Kate: Then she doesn't believe. What are we gonna do? I'm scared, there's shadows everywhere, and it's almost midnight.

Phoebe: Okay, listen, Kate, okay, you don't have to worry, that's what we called to tell you, because the trolls know that we have the key now, so they're not after you anymore, they are after us.

Kate: No, they're here too, I can hear them.

Prue: As long as we have the key, Thistle is safe. So, just stay there, and-and-and turn on all the lights [Cut back to Prue and Phoebe] and they will disappear into the shadows.

Phoebe: Yeah, yeah.

[Cut back to the attic. Cole reaches for the Book of Shadows, but it flies off its stand and onto the floor. Cole turns into a demon. (Soon known as Belthazor.) He reaches for the book again and it moves along the floor. He growls.]

[Cut back to Prue and Phoebe. They hear the growl.]

Phoebe: Trolls.

Prue: Let's go get 'em.

[Cut to the attic. Prue and Phoebe barge in.]

Prue/Phoebe: Hiiiyahh!

(Phoebe turns on the light and they see the demon. He shimmers away.)

Phoebe: Pwue, that was a very, _very_ big troll.

Prue: That wasn't a troll, that was a demon.

Phoebe: Okay, well, where does he fit into this story?

Prue: He was after the Book of Shadows.

Phoebe: Alright, well, you know, we can't really worry about him right now 'cause we have to get to Kate.

(Phoebe stands in the doorway and a troll's there.)

Prue: Oh, Phoebe! (The troll jumps down Phoebe's shirt.) Phoebe!

(Prue tackles Phoebe. The troll jumps out of Phoebe's shirt. Prue and Phoebe fall down the stairs and land on the second floor.)

Phoebe: (now an adult) _Prue_ , they got the key.

(Cole walks out of the bathroom.)

Cole: Prue…. Are you two okay?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Phoebe, and Cole are walking down the stairs.]

Prue: I'm really sorry to rush you out, but we have something very important to take care of.

(They head towards the door.)

Cole: But you sure you're okay? I mean, that sounded like a pretty nasty fall.

Prue: Yeah, Cole, we're fine really.

Cole: You two seem different.

Prue: Different?

Cole: I mean, I thought you were, I don't know, drunk or something before, but now you seem….

Prue: Sober. Stairs can be sobering. Right. Okay, um, I'm really sorry about our plans there, Cole. I really am.

(She opens the door.)

Cole: No worries. I'll keep trying.

(He leaves and Prue closes the door.)

Phoebe: _Stairs can be sobering?_

Prue: Okay, what was I supposed to say? That some unknown demon came in to try and steal our magic book and then little _trolls_ came and pushed us down the stairs?

Phoebe: Right, okay, but why _are_ we thinking like grown ups all of a sudden?

Prue: I don't know. It must've been from the trauma of the attack. Which is probably a really good thing, because I don't really think our inner children would've had much luck protecting Kate.

Phoebe: And now that the trolls have the key we really need to go protect Kate. (Prue heads upstairs.) Uh, hello, Prue?

(She follows Prue.)

[Cut to the attic. Prue and Phoebe walk in.]

Phoebe: Okay, I don't understand why we don't just get to Kate.

Prue: Because with the dust warn off we won't be able to see the trolls.

(Prue walks over to the Book of Shadows and flips through the pages.)

Phoebe: Okay, well, I already looked in the Book of Shadows and there's nothing in there about trolls.

Prue: I know. I'm thinking of piecing together a makeshift spell like... here. (She finds a spell in the book.) Um, 'To see what can't be seen'. If we combine that one with the one to cultivate innocence and the power of three spell, it just might work.

Phoebe: That's why you're the oldest sister, you are always thinking.

Prue: Thank you. Alright, uh, I'll work on the spell, why don't you go call Piper.

Phoebe: Okay. Um, what's the point of that? Isn't she still on the picket line?

Prue: Yeah, but we can't fight the trolls without her. I mean, they're just too fast. We need her to freeze them. You know, maybe we _wanted_ her to be with us before, but now we actually _need_ her.

Phoebe: Okay.

(She heads towards the door.)

Prue: Uh, hey, watch out for doorways and stuff because now that the trolls know that we're helping Kate, they'll do everything they can to stop all three of us.

Phoebe: Mmm hmm.

(Phoebe runs through the doorway quickly.)

[Scene: P3. Piper places some wine glasses on a tray and walks towards the bar. The trolls trip Piper, who drops the tray. She bends down and picks up the glass. The trolls make Piper cut her finger on the glass.]

Piper: _Ow!_

(Abbey walks up to Piper holding the phone.)

Abbey: Hey, Piper, your sister's... (she sees the mess) on the phone.

Piper: Perfect. (She takes the phone. Abbey helps clean up the mess.) It's okay, I'll get it, I'll get it, it's alright. (Piper walks up to the bar and wraps a napkin around her finger.) (in the phone) Need a diaper change?

Phoebe: Very funny. Look, we need you to come home right away by midnight or else-

Piper: The tooth fairy's gonna come and harass us all for not flossing?

Phoebe: Alright, I know you don't believe in fairies, and I'm not asking you to-

Piper: Then what are you asking?

Phoebe: We _were_ trying to distract you before, we were trying to take your mind off of Leo, okay. And it was wrong and I'm sorry for that, but it's not about that anymore, Piper. We are up against something that we _cannot_ fight without you.

Piper: Trolls.

Phoebe: Believe it or don't, but they are sneaky and mean and they are trying to hurt a seven year old girl. (Piper looks around the club.) Hello?

Piper: Any chance they may have been here?

Phoebe: Yeah, one attacked me there earlier. Why?

Piper: Nothing.

Phoebe: Alright, look, they know that we're witches and they will do anything to stop us from helping Kate.

Piper: Alright. I'm on my way.

Phoebe: Okay, well, don't forget to stay out of the... (Piper hangs up.) [Cut to Phoebe] Tween places.

[Cut back to Piper. She grabs her purse and looks for her keys.]

Piper: Abbey, have you seen my keys?

Abbey: Aren't they on the hook?

Piper: No, if they were on the hook, I wouldn't be asking.

(Piper swings around and knocks over some bottles.)

Abbey: I got it, I got it.

Piper: Oh, _damn_ it. (She continues looking for the keys.) Spare key, spare key. Register. (She opens the cash register and the trolls close it on her fingers when she grabs the keys.) Son of a….

Abbey: Oh, are you okay?

Piper: Uh, could you just do me a favor and close up for me?

Abbey: Oh, yeah, sure.

Piper: Thank you.

[Cut to outside. The trolls push Piper out the door. She walks towards her car and the trolls trip her. She falls on the ground and all her stuff falls out of her purse.]

Piper: You better run while you can, you little rodents. (She sits up and looks up at the sky.) I bet you guys think this is real funny, don't ya? Haven't you taken enough from me? You have to send _trolls_ to _kick me_ while I'm down?! (She picks up her stuff and puts them back in her purse.) I had a nice normal life once, and you took that from me. You took my boyfriend, you took my life, the least you could do is leave me... (a couple walk past as she stands up) my _freakin'_ car keys. I am a good person, I am a good witch, and _damn it_ I would've made a _great_ wife. And how _dare you_ take that from me? I deserve... no, you know what? ... I _demand_ that you send him back to me. You hear me? Right now. I am going to _stand_ in this very spot until you _send_ Leo back to me.

(Nothing happens.)

[Scene: Manor. 11:54pm. Prue and Phoebe are waiting for Piper.]

Prue: She said that she was coming, right?

Phoebe: What'd you think, I just made that part up?

Prue: No, but it's almost midnight and we still have to go over to Kate's.

Phoebe: Well, maybe we should do it without her. Do the best we can.

Prue: No, I used the power of three spell, it won't work without her.

Phoebe: We can rewrite it.

Prue: In six minutes?

Phoebe: Do you have a better idea?

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: Sorry I'm late.

Phoebe: Hey, are you okay?

Piper: I thought this wasn't about me.

Prue: Well, it's just... you don't really seem like you're very open.

Piper: I'm as open as I'm gonna get in the next five minutes, so let's just do the damn spell.

(They read from a piece of paper.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: 'In this tween time, this darkest hour/We call upon the sacred power/Three together stand alone/Command the unseen to be shown/In innocence we search the skies/Enchanted are our new found eyes.'

Phoebe: You've really gotta lay off the rhyming, Prue.

Prue: Alright, well, let's just go ring the doorbell. Piper, you freeze Kate's parents so that we can get past them, okay?

Piper: Fine, whatever.

(She walks off.)

Prue: Fine, whatever.

[Scene: Kate's house. Kate's room. She is standing in the middle of the room clutching onto the box and holding the walkie-talkie.]

Kate: (into the walkie-talkie) Prue? Hello? Phoebe? Please answer me. Hello? (The clock hits 12:00 and the trolls appear. They fly around Kate. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in. The trolls fly around them, pushes them outside into the hallway, and shuts the door. They knock the box out of Kate's hands.) Thistle! (The box falls under the bed.) Phoebe, they're taking Thistle!

[Cut to the hallway.]

Phoebe: Okay, why can't we see them?

Prue: Obviously the spell didn't work.

(Prue uses her power and opens the door. The trolls drag Kate under the bed.)

Kate: Help me!

(The trolls knock down a shelf of toys.)

[Cut to under the bed. A troll throws dust onto Kate and she turns into a fairy. They take her away. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe look under the bed.]

Phoebe: Where'd she go?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Kate's house. Continued from before.]

Prue: There's nothing here.

Piper: Well, she's gotta be here somewhere. She couldn't have just disappeared.

Phoebe: Unless the trolls turned her into a fairy?

Prue: A fairy? Why would they do that?

Phoebe: I have no idea. Maybe to punish her for taking Thistle. (She picks up the box.) But we have to find Kate. Okay, come on, give me a premonition.

Prue: I don't understand. I mean, why couldn't we see the trolls? We've had spells backfire on us before, but never the power of three.

Piper: It didn't backfire. The spell didn't work because of me.

Prue: Piper….

Piper: No, it's-it's true. This is all my fault. I just…. I wanted to save Kate, I never meant to hurt her, I never meant for this….

Prue: Don't blame yourself, okay? You have every right to be angry.

Piper: But not at the expense of a little girl. I just don't understand how I'm supposed to believe in anything anymore. I just want him back, Prue.

Prue: I know. But right now we have to get Kate back, okay, and we're gonna need your help to do that.

Phoebe: _Damn it_ , damn it, damn it. I don't understand. What good is this power if I can't _use_ it when I need it?

Prue: _Phoebe_ , you have to _focus_.

Phoebe: Prue, I am focusing, believe me.

Prue: You're too upset, so take a deep breath.

Piper: Guys….

Phoebe: I can't levitate when I want to, I can't premonition when I want to-

Piper: _Guys!_

Phoebe: _What?_

Piper: I think the spell is working. (She points to a fairy flying near the window.) Do you see it?

Phoebe: What's it doing?

Prue: I think it wants us to follow it.

[Time lapse. Outside in a garden. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are following the fairy. They approach a cave and it flies away.]

Prue: I think he got scared away.

Phoebe: Yeah, and I can see why. This looks like the cave from Kate's drawing.

Piper: The first troll I see is in really big trouble. Let's go.

(They walk into the cave and hide behind a rock. Kate and Thistle are locked in a cage.)

Phoebe: Troll central.

(The troll's place a branch underneath the cage. One troll is banging two rocks together trying to make a fire.)

Piper: What are they doing?

Prue: It looks like they're trying to start a fire, although I don't really think that it's for roasting marshmallows.

Phoebe: Kate and Thistle.

(The trolls get the fire started.)

Prue: Alright, Piper, do you think that you can freeze them from here?

Piper: I can _try_.

(Some trolls attack them and they walk further into the cave.)

Prue: Piper, _freeze them_!

Piper: _They're too fast!_

(One heads straight for Piper and she freezes it. Prue moves it into the fire and it burns.)

Prue: One down.

Phoebe: Okay... (Phoebe jumps up and levitates.) Prue, a little help here.

(Prue uses her power and Phoebe flies over to the cage. She unhooks it and lands back on the ground.)

Prue: Piper, run.

Piper: Run? Run where?

Prue: Just run, Piper, run!

(Prue drags Piper towards the fire.)

Piper: Are you out of your mind?!

Prue: _Freeze the flames!_ (Piper freezes the fire and they jump through it. The trolls head towards them.) Unfreeze, now! (Piper unfreezes the fire and burns all of the trolls.) Now that is just the way I like my trolls, medium-well.

(Phoebe laughs. She lets Kate and Thistle out of the cage.)

Phoebe: Here you guys go. It's okay, there you go. (They start to fly away.) Um, hey, hey, hey, you guys, wait up.

(They stop.)

Prue: Thistle, don't you know how to turn Kate back into a person?

(Kate looks at Thistle and shakes her head.)

Phoebe: Kate, you know you can't stay a fairy, because if you do, your mom will be very sad.

Piper: Um, you know what? I think I kinda know how you're feeling. When someone you love goes away, it doesn't make any sense, and it feels like the whole world is out to get ya. But you know what? Your mom and dad didn't split up to hurt you. Things just happen. Things that you may never understand. But you just have to believe that it's for the best. Even if it doesn't always seem that way. You remember how sad you were when your daddy left? (Kate nods.) Well, that's how sad everybody's gonna be if you don't come home.

(Kate looks at Thistle and nods. Thistle turns her back into a human. Phoebe goes over and hugs Kate.)

Prue: (to Piper) Nicely done.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk through the front door. They look very sore and tired.]

Phoebe: Ow.

Piper: _Yep_.

Prue: Ice?

Phoebe: _Bed._ (Just as Prue closes the door, the doorbell rings. Prue opens the door back up and there are flowers on the porch.) Who delivers at this hour?

(Prue bends down and picks up her keys.)

Prue: Hmm, I think this is somebody's way of saying thank you. Here. (She hands them the flowers.)

Phoebe: Thanks.

Piper: Well, you're welcome.

(They carry them inside.)

Phoebe: Oh, they're so pretty.

(Piper puts a wreath of flowers on her head. Prue and Phoebe look at her.)

Prue: Piper, um, we….

(She takes it back off.)

Phoebe: We, um, we just….

Piper: I know. It's okay. I'm actually beginning to understand why they don't want witches and whitelighters to be together. (They walk into the living room and sit down.) Marriage is, um, hard enough, you know. But marriage to a _whitelighter_ …. He's gotta orb out at all times of the night, and sometimes he's gone for weeks at a time. But honestly, if I'm gonna have a meltdown every time I have no idea where he is, then none of us are gonna be able to do our jobs. (Tears fill her eyes.) And if we had lost that little girl tonight….

Phoebe: But we didn't.

Piper: But we could've. And I don't think I could live with that. And if that means that I have to give up Leo, then I guess that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. (She walks out of the room. Leo orbs in on the stairs. Piper gets a fright.) Am I dreaming?

Leo: No.

(They hug.)

Piper: I had a dream that you weren't coming back. That wasn't a dream either, was it?

Leo: No, it wasn't. They had forbidden me from ever seeing you again. (Phoebe and Prue walk in.) But now…. I don't know what you said or did, but they said you showed great courage and great faith, enough to make them reconsider.

Phoebe: Does that mean you guys can get married now? What? _I wanna know_.

Leo: Not yet. It means they're giving us a chance to prove that we can make it work.

Phoebe: What do you mean? Like probation?

(Piper gives Phoebe a look.)

Leo: If we can show them that our relationship won't get in the way of our work….

Piper: Then we can stay together?

Leo: But if anything goes wrong, if we're distracted by each other to the detriment of a single innocent-

Piper: We won't be.

(Piper and Leo go upstairs.)

Prue: Are you worried?

Phoebe: When are you going to learn? I am _always_ worried. I'm relieved that he's back though, not only for Piper, but….

Prue: I know. Unknown, unattractive demon on the loose.

Phoebe: Yeah, let's not tell them until tomorrow. I think that the least that they deserve is one night of worry-free romance, don't you?

Prue: Mmm, romance, ugh.

[Time lapse. Prue is calling Cole's office.]

Cole: Turner.

Prue: Uh, hi, Cole, what are you doing in the office at two in the morning?

Cole: What are you doing calling the office at two in the morning?

Prue: Um, I-I was just gonna leave you a message. Save you the trouble of having to talk to me.

Cole: Why would I ever not want to talk to you?

Prue: I don't know. You know, just in case you thought I was a... drunk, or a lunatic... or a drunk lunatic.

Cole: I think I'm gonna go with mystery. One I'm looking forward to figuring out.

Prue: Okay, um, I'm going to go then and, uh, be mysterious.

Cole: I'll call you.

Phoebe: I will answer.

(She hangs up and falls back onto the couch.)

[Cut to Cole's office.]

Cole: _Yes!_ (to his shadow) Tell them I'm getting closer.

(His shadows disappears into an air vent.)


	4. All Halliwell's Eve

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **All Halliwell's Eve**

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Phoebe is there checking her makeup in a compact mirror. Prue walks in holding a bowl of candy. She places it on the foyer table. Piper and Leo walk down the stairs. They are all dressed up in costumes for Halloween. Phoebe is Elvira, the mistress of the dark, wearing a black dress and a black wig. Prue is wearing a black dress and a long black wig with butterflies pinned to it. And Piper is dressed as Glinda, the good witch from the Wizard of Oz, wearing a red wig and a pink fluffy dress. Leo is dressed in his old World War II army uniform.]

Piper: Alright, people, let's go! I was supposed to be at the club half an hour ago!

Prue: (to Piper) Hey, are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Piper: I'm going to be a _very_ good witch from now on.

Prue: And you picked a role model who wears lots and lots of pink?

Piper: Yes.

Leo: Glinda helped innocents, didn't she?

Piper: Yes.

Phoebe: You had the answer all along? That's not help, that's _mind games_.

Piper: I'm not gonna let you spoil my new attitude. I'm gonna celebrate the witch's holiday with _enthusiasm_.

Phoebe: The only problem is you never really know what you're celebrating when you celebrate Halloween.

Piper: _Details._ Where's Darryl?

Prue: He's in the kitchen on the phone.

(Piper and Leo head for the kitchen but stop when Phoebe starts talking.)

Phoebe: (holding up a cardboard cutout) Hook-nosed hags riding broomsticks. That's what we're celebrating. Personally, I am offended by the representation of witches in popular culture.

Piper: Right, which is why you dressed as the _mistress of the dark_?

Phoebe: This costume happens to be a _protest statement_.

Prue: I am _so_ impressed that you can make a protest statement and show cleavage all at the same time.

Phoebe: Thank you.

Prue: Amazing.

Piper: Let's go.

[Cut to the kitchen. Darryl is there talking on the phone. He is wearing his police academy uniform. Everyone walks in.]

Piper: Alright, Inspector, put down the phone and nobody gets hurt.

Darryl: (into the phone) Yeah, sweetie, I gotta go. Give your folks my love, okay? I miss you guys.

(He hangs up.)

Piper: Nice costume.

(Piper scoops some popcorn into a bowl.)

Darryl: Yeah, it's from my rookie days. Still fits.

Leo: Yeah, mine too.

(Darryl looks at Leo.)

Darryl: Isn't that from World War II? (silence) Who are you?

Prue: Uh, I will explain on the way.

Phoebe: (She eats some popcorn.) So, in the meantime, we can just stick together since we are both dateless.

Piper: He's not dateless, he's married. You're dateless.

Phoebe: I'm just not settling, alright. The perfect guy is out there, a real man, and I will find him, trust me.

Piper: Mmm hmm. And they're gonna love the popcorn and caramel in your teeth too. (Phoebe picks her teeth with her fingernail.) Alright, Darryl, let's go. Somebody get something.

(They all grab plates of food.)

Prue: Um, we can't leave yet. We have to wait for Cole.

Darryl: Cole Turner? The ADA? You're _dating_ him?

Prue: Uh, no, I just sort of invited him to go along with us. It wasn't set in stone or anything, but something must've come up.

[Scene: In the streets. Children are trick or treating. Two grimlocks walk past a kid. He runs after them.]

Kid: Hey, cool costumes, dudes.

(The grimlock holds out his hand and a blue swirling light surrounds the kid's eyes. Cole appears out of a shimmer.)

Cole: What the hell are you doing?

Grimlock #1: Belthazor?

Cole: Ah-ah-ah-ah. I use the name Cole here. Let him go.

(He does so and the kid runs off.)

Grimlock #1: We don't need him, not to get the Charmed Ones.

Cole: My next question, didn't they already get you, two years ago?

Grimlock #2: Yeah, but it's Halloween. When the veil between worlds thin. When the demons that know how can return to seek their revenge.

Cole: I know. Which is why I have a different plan for the witches. One that doesn't include you. One that's been approved by the Triad.

Grimlock #1: We don't answer to anyone anymore. We're dead.

Cole: There's dead... and then there's dead. Fine. I'll just move up my timetable.

(He shimmers away.)

Grimlock #1: I've always _hated_ that demon.

Grimlock #2: Nice costume though.

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk into the foyer.]

Prue: Ooh-ooh, I wanna picture of all of us first, but I have to get my broomstick.

Phoebe: _Cliché!_

(Prue goes into the other room. The doorbell rings.)

Piper: Come on, guys, hurry up!

(Phoebe answers the door. The grimlocks are standing there.)

Grimlock #1: Trick or treat.

Phoebe: Oh my god, that is so weird. They look just like the grim… whoa!

(Phoebe and Piper run but stop when the grimlocks start to strangle them.)

[Cut to the kitchen. The Elders call Leo.]

Leo: Uh-oh.

Darryl: Uh-oh, what?

Leo: Piper?! (He and Darryl run into the foyer.) Prue?! Phoebe?!

(Prue runs in.)

Prue: Oh!

(Prue uses her power and the grimlocks fly into the living room.)

Phoebe: Didn't we vanquish them already?!

Leo: I don't know, but that's not what I wanted to warn you about.

Prue: What do you mean?! (A vortex opens behind them.)

Leo: _That's_ what I wanted to warn you about.

Prue: Oh.

(The grimlocks come back into the foyer.)

Phoebe: Oh, look out!

(Piper freezes them.)

Piper: Leo, what the hell is-?

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe get sucked into the vortex. It closes and their wigs fall to the ground.)

Leo: Wait! They don't know what's happening!

Darryl: This isn't good, right?

Opening Credits

[Scene: 1670. The vortex opens in a field and Prue, Piper, and Phoebe appear. They are standing near a witch's altar.]

Prue: Is everybody okay?

Phoebe: Too soon to tell.

Piper: Did the grimlocks do this?

Prue: Uh, unless we're dead, and this is the hereafter, I don't think so.

Phoebe: Eternally Elvira, yecch.

Prue: Alright, uh, so this sorta looks like an altar.

Piper: A witch's altar. What's going on?

(About 10-15 witch hunters on horses and foot run towards them.)

Man #1: There they are!

Man #2: Kill the witches!

Phoebe: Oh, you had to ask.

Piper: Not good, not good, not good. (They run into the bushes.) Flee! We're not in Kansas anymore!

Man #3: Come on!

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe hide behind a bush and watch the witch hunters search around for them.)

Piper: Don't tell me we've time traveled again. I _hate_ time traveling.

Phoebe: _You_ do? I was _burnt at the stake_ last time, remember?

Prue: Alright, let's try and make sure that doesn't happen again. From what they're wearing it looks to be, what, 16-1700's?

Phoebe: Where the life expectancy of the average witch is, what, fifteen minutes?

(Someone rustles a bush behind them. They gasp and turn around to see a witch hunter standing there.)

Man #4: Find anything, Micah?!

(He stares at Phoebe. Piper gets ready to freeze him but Phoebe grabs her wrist.)

Micah: No, nothing here! Ride on!

Man #4: Ride on, men!

(He puts his index finger to his lips.)

Micah: Shh.

(He runs off.)

Piper: Hey. Why didn't you let me freeze him?

Phoebe: I don't know. There was just something….

(Once the witch hunters have gone, they walk out of the bushes.)

Piper: You know what? I don't care why we're here or how we got here, I just wanna get home. I've got a life to live, and decorations to hang, so where's the _damn_ vortex?

Prue: I don't know where the-

(Someone puts bags over their heads. They scream.)

[Scene: 2000. Manor. The grimlocks are still frozen. Darryl is looking at them. Leo is looking around where the vortex appeared.]

Darryl: First demons I've ever seen. Actually, except for that blonde with the funky snake tongue thingy. What are they?

Leo: I don't know.

Darryl: Then how do you know they didn't make the girls disappear?

Leo: Because this is different. This is a time portal that my bosses sent them through, which is _closed now_ , damn it.

Darryl: Who are you?

Leo: I'm their…. Never mind, it's too complicated. I gotta get you out of here before they unfreeze.

Darryl: Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it. I'm not going anywhere.

Leo: Look, I don't have time to argue. I've gotta figure out a way to get rid of these demons before the girls return, otherwise they're gonna be sitting ducks.

Darryl: Are you sure they're coming back?

Leo: They better be. They've gotta do it before Halloween ends too, which means-

Darryl: Which means you're gonna need my help.

Leo: You don't know what you're up against here.

Darryl: The problem is neither do you, which means you're gonna need a cop around to help you figure it out. They're like sisters to me, Leo.

Leo: Alright. Phoebe said that she thought that they had vanquished these demons before, so the first thing we have to do is…. (The grimlocks unfreeze.) Run. (Darryl and Leo run up the stairs. Darryl stops and shoots them with his gun. Green goo oozes out of them and they fall on the ground.) Come on, let's go.

Grimlock #1: At least we can't die.

Grimlock #2: They can.

Grimlock #1: We have to figure out where the witches went.

Grimlock #2: We know where they went. Cole got them. But if he fails, they'll be back, and they'll be in our way.

Commercial Break

[Scene: 1670. In a cave. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and some women are there. The women pull the bags off of their heads. A woman (Eva) curtseys in front of them.]

Eva: Blessed be. (The girls look confused.) Our prayers have been answered. We need your help.

Prue: Excuse me?

Eva: Forgive me for the manner in which you were brought here, but we had to make sure you were who we had sent for. This doorway would've told us if you were evil.

(She points to an opening in the cave.)

Piper: Huh, where can we get one of those?

Prue: Alright, wait, uh, who do you _think_ we are?

Eva: The most powerful good witches of all time, of course.

Phoebe: Okay, lucky guess.

Prue: And you are?

Eva: I am Eva. A midwife, a witch, and a free citizen of the colony of Virginia. These good women are my coven. (to the women) Come. Now we don't have much time. (The women hand Prue, Piper. and Phoebe a dress each.) No one can suspect that you've come to us from the future. Witches must not have to hide in your time. What year are you from?

Piper: Uh, 2000.

Phoebe: What year is it now?

Eva: 1670.

Phoebe: Oh.

Prue: Uh, alright, so why do you need our help?

Eva: To save a magical baby who's prophesied to be born tonight.

Piper: Save it from who?

Eva: A dark practitioner. She kidnapped the baby's mother in hopes of raising the child evil. If that happens, good magic will never flourish in the new world. You must rescue Charlotte so that you can bring her here and we can deliver her baby with our own protective circle.

Piper: Wait a minute, you have the power to bring us through time but you don't have the power to set her free yourself?

Eva: Well, we cast spells to prepare your way, of course, but we know it was the power of All Hallows Eve that brought you here. Not _us_.

Prue: All Hallows Eve?

Eva: A witch's most sacred day. The day when the source of all magic can be tapped into. How can you not know about All Hallows Eve?

Phoebe: It isn't what it used to be.

Piper: Wait a minute, uh, you can tap into that power to send us home, right?

Eva: W-we assumed that you could.

Piper: They assumed that we could.

Prue: Um, okay, well, uh, Piper, I have an idea. So what time is it?

(She looks at her watch.)

Piper: It's... 2:15.

(Eva looks at her watch.)

Eva: Oh, you've made such a big clock so small. You must possess great magic.

Piper: Just a good credit card.

Prue: Okay, um, excuse us for a minute. Talk. (They walk away.) Alright, I think that I have this figured out. I think that _they_ sent us here and that's what Leo was trying to tell us.

Piper: Oh, leave it to them to zap first and give instructions never.

Prue: Alright, but if I'm right, the only way that they are going to let us go home is if we bring that baby back here by midnight. Alright, uh, Eva, do you have a plan?

Eva: Yes. (She holds up a small bottle.) This vial holds a potion which will put the men who guard the house to sleep. (She hands it to Piper.) Then you'll use your powers to bring the mother back here.

Piper: Ha, easy for her to say.

(Piper gives the potion to Prue.)

[Scene: At a village. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Eva walk out of the bush. They are wearing dresses and a cape.]

Eva: We must be careful.

Phoebe: It looks like they're having a party.

Eva: It's the kidnapper, Ruth Cobb. She's doing it, pretending to mock All Hallow's Eve, but I know better. She's really doing it to tap into the powers of _dark_ magic.

(They see witch hunters nearby.)

Piper: Looks like our welcoming committee.

Phoebe: Witch hunters.

Eva: Hunters of _good_ witches maybe. If they work for Ruth, they're after us.

(Phoebe sees Micah nearby.)

Phoebe: Not all of them.

(Prue looks at Phoebe.)

Prue: Hmm.

(They walk closer to the village.)

Eva: Beware the talismans. (She points to the talismans hanging on the tree.) They've barred our way each time we've tried to rescue Charlotte.

Phoebe: Oh, honey, those don't really pack much of a punch where we come from.

(They walk forward.)

Eva: No, you don't realize that-

(A bright light shines out of the talisman and they fly backwards. A bell rings and the village people start yelling and running around.)

Phoebe: Ooh, what the hell was that?

(Eva helps them up.)

Piper: The _talismans_?!

Prue: No way talisman's have that much power.

Eva: They never have before. Ruth's using the magic of All Hallow's Eve. (Guards gallop towards them on their horses.) Guards!

Prue: Alright, I've got 'em, I've got 'em. (She uses her power but nothing happens.) Uh….

Phoebe: What just happened? What's the matter?

Prue: I don't know. (She tries again.) Piper?

(Piper tries to freeze them but it doesn't work. The guard shoots at them and they scream. Piper continues to try and freeze them but it still doesn't work.)

Eva: Use your powers!

Prue: We don't _have_ any!

Eva: What?!

Phoebe: Run!

(A guard shoots at them again and hits Eva in the arm. She yells in pain. They run into the bushes.)

[Cut to inside Ruth's house. Ruth is looking out the window watching. She walks over to Charlotte, who's in bed and in pain.]

Ruth: It appears that your witch friend has brought others to try and rescue you again. Unfortunately, she's been wounded. (Charlotte groans in pain.) Oh, _easy now_ , Charlotte. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your baby, now would we?

Charlotte: I _won't_ let you have my baby.

Ruth: Oh, you won't have a choice. Especially since somebody very special has recently arrived to ensure it.

(She walks into another room. There is a man standing in a dark corner.)

Man: How much longer, Ruth?

Ruth: Soon. By nightfall perhaps. You imbued the talismans with great power. Care to share your secrets? Who are you? Where do you come from? Pray tell.

(The man walks into the light. It's Cole but with shoulder-length hair.)

Cole: I come from the future... to change it.

Commercial Break

[Scene: A cave. Eva is holding a cloth against her wound.]

Prue: Eva, we're sorry, we didn't know that our powers-

Eva: Just leave us. Just go back to wherever it is you came from. We asked for the most powerful witches of all time and instead we get powerless frauds.

Phoebe: Um, okay, I know that you're a little disappointed, but frauds is a little harsh, don't you think?

Piper: We do have powers, or at least, we _had_ them. We just can't _access_ them right now.

Prue: Maybe that's because technically we don't really exist yet, so neither do our powers.

Eva: Protecting this baby is our destiny. How can we come this far just to fail?

Phoebe: We're asking ourselves the same thing.

(A woman walks over to Eva and hands her a folded piece of paper.)

Woman: Bite down.

(Eva puts the paper between her teeth. Another woman gets a poker out of the fire. Piper stops her.)

Piper: Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?

Woman: Cauterizing her wound.

Piper: No, no, no, no, no. We may not have powers, but we do have basics. Just get some hot water and some soap and some clean cloths. (Eva nods.) Hurry.

(The women walk away.)

Prue: Eva, don't give up on us yet, alright, I know that we can help.

Phoebe: Yeah. We have been through tougher jams than this before.

Piper: We have?

Phoebe: Haven't we?

Prue: We were born witches. That makes us innately magical. Maybe you can just teach us how to tap into it.

Eva: There's not enough time.

Phoebe: We're quick studies.

[Scene: 2000. Manor. Leo is looking through the Book of Shadows. Darryl is walking around holding his gun.]

Leo: I keep telling you that thing's not gonna work on them.

Darryl: Maybe not, but it makes them think twice about it. Otherwise they would've blasted in on us by now. That, plus it's the only thing we got.

Leo: Well, maybe not. I think I found out who they are. (reading from the book) 'Grimlocks - Underground demons who are sensitive to light and steal children's sight so that they can see the aura that surrounds good people and strangle them with it.'

Darryl: That snake-tongued blonde's looking better and better.

Leo: At least there's a vanquishing potion here.

[Cut to outside the attic door.]

Grimlock #2: We can't keep waiting here. We should be downstairs, waiting for the witches. We _can't_ absorb anymore wounds.

Grimlock #1: If they come into range, we won't have to.

(Darryl walks near the door and the Grimlock starts strangling him through the keyhole.)

[Cut inside the attic. Darryl drops his gun and starts to cough.]

Leo: Darryl!

(The Grimlocks barge in. Leo orbs out and orbs back in beside Darryl. He grabs Darryl and they orb out.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Leo and Darryl orb in. Darryl continues coughing.]

Leo: Told you you didn't know what you're up against.

Darryl: Who are you?

Leo: Come on, we've got a potion to cook up.

[Scene: 1670. Ruth's house. Ruth is laying out tarot cards in front of her. Charlotte groans in pain.]

Ruth: Her contractions are coming closer together. (Cole soaks a cloth in a bowl of water.) It won't be long now.

(Cole walks over to Charlotte with the wet cloth and reaches out to her.)

Charlotte: Don't touch me.

Cole: There's no need for you to be any more uncomfortable than you have to be.

Charlotte: Really? Then let me go. I beg you.

Cole: Even if I could, it wouldn't help. Another would be sent to take you right back. (Ruth gasps.) _What?_ What do you see?

(He walks back over to her.)

Ruth: A force of great good, from _your_ time. Here, for the baby as well.

Cole: Three of them. I'm not surprised. My traveling here undoubtedly alerted the other side.

Ruth: But this new force-

Cole: _If_ it's who I think it is, I can handle them. You just make sure she stays here through midnight.

[Scene: Cave. Eva hands Prue, Piper, and Phoebe some small dolls made out of wheat.]

Eva: Here.

Piper: Dolls? We tap into our powers with dolls?

Eva: It's not just a doll. It's a totem. Reminds us of the wisdom and the power of women.

Phoebe: Okay, but what does that have to do with-

Eva: The witch's journey is a walk of wisdom collected over the years, Phoebe. (She cuts an apple in half.) Wisdom gives us power. Power frightens the fearful and the ignorant.

Prue: Well, that would certainly explain why in our time witches are made to look silly on Halloween.

Eva: And this magic, this knowledge is forgotten?

Phoebe: We could get it back if you teach us.

Eva: Here. (She picks up a witch's hat.) The conical hat is a spiritual point. (She places it on Phoebe's head.) It helps us to channel our magic. Keeps us centered, focused. The apple holds a pentacle in its heart. (She holds up half an apple.) Add a laurel leaf, and you will block the path of evil.

(She places a leaf over the centre of the apple.)

Prue: A simple laurel leaf?

Eva: Simple, but powerful. Remember, there is magic all around you, especially on this night.

Piper: Uh, what's with the masks?

Eva: Demons walk freely on All Hallows Eve, so a mask allows you to hide your identity. (She hands a mask to Piper.) Walk amongst them.

Phoebe: (to a woman holding a broom) Can I see that? (The woman hands her the broom.) Okay, now don't tell me you ride around on this thing.

Eva: Anything's possible. Here. The broom's traditional purpose is to sweep evil from your path. Sweep east to west. (Phoebe sweeps east to west.) Same path as the sun travels. Like anything else in magic, it's _how_ you do it, with knowledge, and reverence.

Phoebe: Wow, do I feel silly. (She giggles. She gets a shock from the broom.) Ah!

Piper: What happened?

Phoebe: Nothing. Must have been just a spark.

Eva: No, you felt the power. Alright, Sally will go with you to Ruth's house. She'll give you the last few things you'll need. I wish I could go with you.

Prue: We'll do great. You've armed us well.

Eva: Remember, connect with the power of this day.

[Scene: Village. Cole is at the party. Ruth walks up to him.]

Ruth: Do you know what they look like?

Cole: What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the house.

Ruth: The house is guarded by men and magic. Charlotte's not going anywhere.

Cole: I've seen the future, Ruth. Your ignorance is your destiny.

(He puts on a mask.)

[Cut to Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Sally. They are walking to the village. Sally is giving them some witch tools.]

Sally: Charlotte should be in the first bedroom at the top of the stairs. Be careful. Ruth's guards are everywhere. If they see you with these tools, they'll know you as witches.

Prue: Don't worry, we won't fail this time.

Sally: I know you won't. Which of you will be standing guard for the others?

Piper: Phoebe.

Sally: If need be, this will turn away evil spirits. (She hands Phoebe a small pumpkin with a star carved out of it.) Perhaps even the demon you think Ruth's summoned.

Phoebe: Um, you're kidding, right? (Sally stares at her.) Okay, you're not kidding.

(She puts the pumpkin in her cape pocket.)

Sally: Blessed be. Good luck.

(She walks away.)

Prue: Alright. (They put on their masks.) Trick or treat.

Piper: Oh boy.

(They walk into the village. Prue heads in a different direction from Piper and Phoebe.)

Man: Care to know your future, milady?

Prue: Oh, no thanks.

Man: Are you certain? I can show you the first initial of your true love's name.

Prue: Really? You can do that?

Man: With a simple peel of the apple.

Cole: Prove it.

(Cole walks up to them.)

Prue: And why would you be interested, sir?

Cole: And why _wouldn't_ you be?

(Silence.)

Prue: Okay, how do I do it?

Man: First, (he peels an apple) you must fill your heart with only thoughts of love. Then close your eyes and blow on the peel. (She does so.) Drop the peel into the water, and watch.

(He drops the peel into a bucket of water.)

Prue: And how is it that apple knows this big secret?

Cole: It's simple, milady. Apples are the fruit of knowledge.

(The apple forms a C shape.)

Man: It is a C. The name of your true love begins with a C.

Prue: Cole.

(Cole looks at her. Someone walks past Prue and bumps into her. She drops the pumpkin. Ruth, who is standing nearby, sees it. She points at Prue.)

Ruth: _Witch!_

Cole: No….

(Micah runs over to Prue and searches her pockets.)

Piper: Uh-oh.

Phoebe: Prue!

(They run over to her.)

Ruth: Those two as well!

(Witch hunters grab Piper and Phoebe.)

Ruth: (to Cole) There's your three. (Village people yell "hang the witches".) Hang them! Hang them all!

Micah: My pleasure.

(Micah stares at Phoebe. Cole watches them get taken away.)

[Scene: Field. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are sitting on three horses under a tree with nooses around their necks. The witch hunters are there watching.]

Piper: Tell me this isn't happening.

(Micah rides up next to Phoebe. Cole is nearby on his horse.)

Micah: Hang, witch. Hyah! (The horses run out from underneath them and they are hung.) Onward!

(The witch hunters quickly ride away.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Continued from before. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are still hanging there. Micah rides back, looks around, and cuts the rope with his knife. They fall to the ground and groan in pain.]

Micah: My apologies. (He cuts the ropes around their hands.) A trick I learned from the French. Run the noose line to the waist.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, it's a really good thing the other guards didn't see you do that.

(They stand up.)

Piper: Wait a minute, I don't understand. How did you know that you could trust him?

Phoebe: By the look in his eyes.

Piper: Oh.

Prue: Uh huh.

Phoebe: So that would be (she removes his mask) the second time that you've saved our necks.

Micah: And what beautiful necks they are. (He kisses her hand.) I'm Micah.

Phoebe: I'm charmed.

Prue: Alright, I hate to bust up the balcony scene, Romeo, but why do you keep saving us and why are you running with the witch hunters?

Micah: So I can undo their work whenever possible. I've seen what dark magic can do. If you're fighting that, I'm on your side. And I should get back before anyone gets suspicious.

(Phoebe kisses him on the cheek.)

Phoebe: Thank you.

Micah: Another time.

(He rides off.)

Phoebe: Who was that masked man?

Prue: Okay, you finally found a real man. Too bad he lives in Colonial Virginia, Phoebs.

Piper: We need to get out of here. Pay attention.

Prue: Okay, any idea how we're going to save the baby?

Piper: Well, they think we're dead now. They certainly aren't expecting us.

Phoebe: I mean, besides you guys, we're witches and it's All Hallows Eve, so….

Piper: Alright, glow _elsewhere_.

Phoebe: Alright.

[Scene: 2000. Manor. Kitchen. Leo's making the vanquishing potion. He takes the wooden spoon out of the saucepan and smells it.]

Leo: We need more thyme.

(Darryl looks at his watch.)

Darryl: Can't help you there, buddy, it's almost nightfall.

Leo: No, I'm talking about an herb. It's for the potion. It's, uh, over there.

(Darryl picks up a plate.)

Darryl: Thyme, right?

Leo: Yeah.

(He hands it to Leo.)

Darryl: You think they know what we're doing in here?

Leo: Probably. It explains why they haven't burst in on us yet.

(The doorbell rings.)

Darryl: Trick or treaters.

Leo: Or a trap.

Darryl: Didn't you say those things steal kids' sight?

(He nods. Darryl starts to leave.)

Leo: No, I should go, I can orb.

Darryl: Which might be exactly what they're waiting for. Stay here, finish that potion. No matter what happens, you make sure you bring the girls home safe. Whoever you are.

(He walks out of the kitchen.)

[Cut to the porch. There are three trick or treaters there. Darryl opens the door.]

Trick or Treaters: Trick or treat!

Darryl: Spread the word. (He gives them a bowl of candy.) We're out of candy.

(He shuts the door.)

[Cut to inside. Darryl peeks into the living room and looks around. He turns around and a Grimlock is standing there. It punches him and he falls to the floor. Grimlock #2 steals his sight. He feels around on the floor and finds the button for Prue's camera. He pushes it and the flash goes off. He runs out of the room.]

[Scene: 1670. Outside the village. Piper and Phoebe are near the bush. Prue walks up to them.]

Prue: I don't see Ruth or the guards. What time is it?

(Piper gets her watch out of her pocket.)

Piper: It's-it's 6:00. And we're running out of time and magic.

Prue: Well, it doesn't change what we have to do.

Phoebe: How are we gonna get past the talismans?

Prue: Do you remember what Eva said?

Phoebe: The powerless frauds part?

Prue: No, the magic is all around us part. Well, it's time we learned how to access that. (Prue picks up a broom and hands it to Phoebe.) To sweep away evil.

Phoebe: What, no funny hat?

(Piper picks flowers off of a lavender bush.)

Piper: Lavender. Didn't she say that was a protection herb?

(Prue picks some wheat and starts making a doll.)

Prue: And the wisdom of the women before us will guide us again.

Piper: Okay, get sweeping.

Phoebe: Ugh….

(They walk near a house.)

Phoebe: Okay, which way is east?

Piper: Uh, that way.

(She points to the east. Phoebe sweeps east to west and the broom lets off some sparks. The broomstick glows.)

Phoebe: Whoa, did you see that?

Prue: Yeah, keep going.

(She continues to sweep and the talismans glow and fall off of the trees.)

Phoebe: It's working.

Prue: Alright, good.

(Nearby, some witch hunters grab Micah.)

Phoebe: Micah.

(She starts to walk.)

Prue: Phoebe, you can't.

Phoebe: They found him out.

Prue: We have to get to Charlotte. What would he want you to do?

(Prue and Piper go inside the house. They walk over to Charlotte.)

Piper: Hi.

Charlotte: Who are you?

Prue: Eva sent us. Charlotte, we're here to take you back.

Charlotte: You're lying. I-I don't believe….

(She yells in pain.)

Prue: Oh, okay, okay, uh, uh, how does Lamaze breathing go?

Piper: Uh….

(Piper breathes like they do in Lamaze class.)

Prue: Oh, that's it.

(Prue does it too. Charlotte yells in pain.)

Piper: Okay, okay, okay, um, try this. We can do this.

(Piper presses a spot on Charlotte's back with her fingers.)

Charlotte: How are you making the pain go away?

Piper: Uh, uh, good magic. Just keep breathing.

Prue: Good magic?

Piper: Acupressure.

Prue: Oh, good idea. Alright, uh, we need to get you out of here. Come on, honey, it's okay. (They help Charlotte sit up and she yells in pain. Her water breaks. Prue and Piper jump back.) Oh, oh, her water just broke.

Piper: I see that.

[Cut to outside. Micah falls on the ground. Cole is standing there holding a dagger. He has just killed Micah with it. Ruth runs over to him.]

Ruth: Quickly, check the house!

Cole: No, I know these witches. (He drops the dagger on the ground.) They've already got Charlotte. Follow me. I know we're they're going.

[Cut to the witch's altar. Prue and Piper have a hold of Charlotte's arms, helping her walk.]

Phoebe: The altar.

Piper: Okay, just a little while longer, we're almost there.

Charlotte: I can't.

Prue: Yes, you can.

Charlotte: I'm sorry.

Prue: You can do this.

Charlotte: No!

Prue: Charlotte-

Charlotte: The baby's coming now!

(She kneels on the ground.)

Prue: Oh god.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Altar. It's dark. Charlotte's laying on the ground with a blanket over her.]

Piper: Um, it's almost 11:00. Do you think they gave up on us?

Phoebe: Uh…. (She sees the fire from the witch hunter's torches in the distance.) No, I don't think so!

Prue: Alright, what do we have?

Piper: We've got big problems, a little time, and a little magic.

Prue: Alright, didn't Eva say something about, uh, Charlotte giving birth in a protective circle?

Phoebe: Can we make one of those?

Piper: I don't know. We've got lavender and uh….

Phoebe: Isn't rosemary supposed to be good for protection?

Prue: Right, and apples and laurel leaves block the path of evil.

Phoebe: Right.

Prue: Put it all together, it may just work.

(Charlotte screams in pain.)

Piper: Who's gonna deliver the baby?

Phoebe: Uh, personally, I think that you should, considering we know that you're gonna have one in the future.

Prue: Ooh, I second that.

Piper: _Wait a minute._

Prue: Go. Bye.

Piper: I always get the messy jobs.

(Piper walks over to Charlotte.)

Prue: Alright, if ever there was a time that we were going to connect, it needs to be now. So, Phoebe, form a circle, I'll work on the apples.

(Phoebe throws things around them in a large circle.)

Piper: (to Charlotte) Okay, you're gonna have to try and be kinda quiet. Okay, I know, I'm sorry, okay, um, don't worry, everything's under control. (She lifts up the blanket.) Oh my god, I see it, I see it.

(Phoebe runs over to them.)

Phoebe: _Really?_

Prue: Phoebe, the circle!

Phoebe: The circle.

(She gets back to the circle.)

Piper: Okay, um, just-just try not to push. Okay, uh, this baby is _coming_!

Prue: Yeah, well, so are they.

Piper: Okay, we can do this. Yes, we can do this.

Phoebe: We have to do this.

(Phoebe goes back over to Prue.)

Prue: Alright, here. (She hands Phoebe two apples.) Knowledge and reverence. (They face each other.)

Prue/Phoebe: Knowledge and reverence, knowledge and reverence, knowledge and reverence, knowledge and reverence.

[Cut to Cole and Ruth on their horses. Cole stops riding.]

Ruth: What are you doing?

Cole: Seeing what they've learned.

[Cut back to the girls. The witch hunters get closer.]

Phoebe: Here they come!

Piper: Prue!

Prue: Alright, put it all together, it's gonna work.

(They throw the apples in different directions. A protective circle forms around them. One witch hunter hits it like he's hit a wall.)

[Cut to Cole and Ruth.]

Cole: They've connected. It's over.

Ruth: No, not yet.

[Cut back to the girls}

Phoebe: How cool is that? It actually worked. (The witch hunters fire their guns at them.) Or not!

Piper: It doesn't stop _bullets_!

Prue: We are running out of ammo.

Phoebe: Prue, it's not like an apple's gonna stop them anyway.

(The witch hunters continue shooting.)

Piper: It's a girl!

(Piper wraps the baby in a blanket.)

Prue: Piper, get Charlotte and the baby outta here.

Piper: _Huh?_

Phoebe: Okay, I think I have an idea of what might _really_ scare them. (She puts on a witches hat and grabs a broom.)

Piper: What are you gonna do?

Phoebe: I'm going to embrace the cliché. (She sweeps east to west and then sits on the broom. The broom rises up into the air.)

Piper: There's something you don't see everyday.

(Phoebe flies over the witch hunters and cackles. They quickly run off. Phoebe giggles.)

[Cut to Cole and Ruth.]

Cole: You've gotta give them credit. They're awfully good. (He gets off his horse.) It's alright. Time is on my side. (A portal opens in the ground and he jumps in it. It closes.)

[Cut back to the girls. Prue and Piper watch Phoebe fly over the moon.]

[Scene: Cave. Eva is holding the baby. She walks over to Charlotte and hands her back to her.]

Eva: (to Prue, Piper, and Phoebe) Blessed be.

Prue: Isn't the future beautiful?

Eva: _It is_ , thanks to you. You found the power.

Phoebe: You showed us where to look.

Prue: Yeah, I guess we know where all that flying hag stuff started. You only have yourself to blame, right, Pheebs?

Phoebe: I know it and I love it. Now if I can just figure out how to take it back with me. Hey, what are they waiting for? Why haven't they sent us home already?

Prue: Maybe we haven't learned everything that we're supposed to yet.

(Piper looks at her watch.)

Piper: Well, it's almost midnight, so if we're gonna learn anything more we'd better hurry.

Charlotte: I promise my daughter will know of you. Of the three powerful witches who came to bring her into this world. And we'll always be grateful. Won't we, Melinda?

Piper: Melinda?

Charlotte: Yes, Melinda. Melinda Warren.

Phoebe: Oh.

Charlotte: What is it?

Phoebe: I uh... I think we're related.

(The vortex opens and the girls get sucked into it.)

[Scene: 2000. Manor. The vortex opens. The Grimlocks are waiting there.]

Grimlock #1: I told you they'd come.

(Leo orbs in behind them.)

Leo: Hey.

(He splashes the potion on Grimlock #1 and he disappears. Grimlock #2 starts strangling him. He drops the potion. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe come out of the vortex.)

Prue: Hey, haven't I vanquished you somewhere before?

(She uses her power and flicks the puddle onto the Grimlock. He disappears. Piper runs over to Leo.)

Leo: Are you guys alright?

(Piper helps him up.)

Piper: Are _we_ alright? Are _you_ alright?

Leo: It's been a long day.

Phoebe: Yeah, tell us about it.

(Darryl stumbles down the stairs.)

Prue: Darryl?

Darryl: Prue?

Leo: I got it. (He walks over to Darryl.) Open your eyes. (He does so. Leo restores his sight.) Happy Halloween.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Snake River Conspiracy are playing there. Prue, Piper, and Leo are standing at the bar. Phoebe, holding a pumpkin, walks past a guy holding a broom.]

Phoebe: Use that broom with reverence.

Guy: Huh?

Phoebe: (She walks up to Prue, Piper, and Leo.) Hey. Halloween is now officially my favourite holiday.

(She puts the pumpkin on the bar.)

Piper: Who knew?

Phoebe: We didn't, but we should have. So much knowledge, so much power that we lost. But we'll get it back.

Prue: Okay, well, one crash course at a time.

Phoebe: Yeah, it's too bad Darryl didn't feel up to celebrating with us.

Leo: He saw a lot today. I think he just needs some time to sort it all out.

Prue: Yeah, well, so do we. I mean, it's bad enough that the _Triad_ wants us dead, but to send someone back to wipe out our whole line? Do your bosses have any clue who it is?

Leo: None that they're sharing.

Piper: I think it was that guy who was hitting on Prue at the party.

Prue: _Hang on_ , not every guy I meet wants to kill me. Maybe he just liked me.

Leo: Well, you saved Melinda. That's all that matters.

Piper: And I helped to deliver our great, great, great, great, whatever great grandmother.

Prue: Too bad we couldn't stop her from moving from Virginia to Salem. That would've been nice.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, you can't change history for better or worse.

(A guy that looks like Micah walks up to Phoebe.)

Guy: Excuse me. Hi.

Phoebe: Micah?

Guy: Mitch, actually. Forgive my directness, but I've been watching you from across the room. Have we met?

Phoebe: You know, that's funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing. Um….

(She looks at Prue and she and Mitch walk away. Prue laughs. Cole walks down the stairs dressed as an angel.)

Prue: Oh... my turn. (She walks over to him.) Hey.

Cole: Hey.

Prue: I was beginning to think I got stood up.

Cole: Yeah, sorry, work, you know. I guess I just lost track of time.

Prue: That's okay. I got kind of hung up myself. (silence) So you're an angel?

Cole: Oh, uh, this? (Prue laughs.) No, not really.

(Prue moves closer to him.)

Prue: That's okay. Neither am I.


	5. Sight Unseen

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Sight Unseen**

[Scene: P3. Phoebe is at the bar. She looks at her watch. Piper approaches the bar.]

Piper: Prue _still_ hasn't called?

Phoebe: Nope. Since we've been back from pilgrim times, she's been on a demon bender.

Piper: _You think?_ You mean because that's all she ever talks about?

Phoebe: Yeah.

Piper: I'm gonna call Prue.

(She picks up the phone.)

Phoebe: Well, speaking of a big chill, is Leo keeping you warm?

Piper: _Nope._

Phoebe: _Honey_ , are you still afraid that they're watching you?

(Phoebe giggles.)

Piper: What am I supposed to think? The last two times that they orbed him out was right in the middle of... _it_.

Phoebe: So what does he say?

Piper: He swears that they're not watching, but... he's a guy, he'll say anything. The point is, _I_ think they're watching, and when I think, I can't-I can't-I can't concentrate.

Phoebe: Hmm, well, at least you have the option _to_ concentrate. (Piper dials Prue's number on the phone.) If I don't find a guy soon, I'm gonna have to start concentrating on myself.

Prue: (in the phone) Hello?

Piper: Prue, hey, where are you?

Prue: Hey, I'm on my way home from work. You will never guess what I found on the internet. Remember Micah?

Piper: Phoebe's 17th century hottie? It's hard to forget.

Prue: Well, I traced his ancestors and found an entire history of the village that we visited. I figured it might give us a clue to the identity of the demon that the Triad sent to kill us. I've gotta go home and look up all this demon stuff. We have to get them before they get us.

Piper: Alrighty then.

(She hangs up.)

Phoebe: Is she okay?

Piper: Mmm hmm, I guess. But when does one track mind spill over into _total obsession_?

[Scene: Manor. Porch. Prue is there. She notices the front door is open. She walks inside. All the mirrors are broken. She steps on some broken glass. She walks into the living room. Someone attacks her from behind and they roll over the couch. Prue uses her power and the attacker crashes through the window.]

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue is sitting on the couch and Piper is sweeping up the glass. Phoebe comes in carrying an ice pack.]

Phoebe: Here, sweetie. (She hands Prue the ice pack and she places it on her shoulder.) Are you feeling any better?

Prue: Yeah, I think I was more stunned than hurt. You know, it just happened so fast.

Piper: It's eerie knowing somebody went through every room in the house, smashing mirrors, _touching_ who knows what.

Phoebe: _Fondling_ who knows what.

Piper: It's just so creepy. At least nothing seems to be missing.

Prue: How do you know it wasn't a demon?

Phoebe: Mmm, demons don't usually fondle.

Piper: And besides, the only demon that we know who used mirrors was Kali and we vanquished her sorry ass.

Prue: Yeah, by _smashing_ her reflection in a mirror. (Darryl comes down the stairs.) I mean, I know that she's _supposed to be_ dead, but so were the Grimlocks.

Darryl: Please don't remind me about them.

Piper: Did you find anything?

Darryl: Just a bunch of fingerprints that don't match your samples. I'm gonna run it through the computer to see if any names pop up.

Prue: They won't. I mean, hello, guys. Book of Shadows 101: mirrors, the portals through which evil enters.

Phoebe: Yeah, but there are fingerprints. Demons don't even usually have fingers.

Darryl: Well, on the _human_ side of things, I need you guys to put together a grudge list of any enemies you have, past or present.

(Prue hands him a piece of paper.)

Prue: Already done.

Darryl: (reading from the list) Abraxas, Barbas, _Yama_ …. What did you do? Date the united nations?

Prue: It's the demons, warlocks, and various evil forces that we've faced in the last two years.

Darryl: That's not exactly what I meant.

Prue: Okay, um, I'm gonna go hit the Book of Shadows and see if I can find anything about mirrors.

(Prue goes upstairs.)

Phoebe: Prue's been a little fixated lately.

Piper: Do you think it was a human bad guy?

Darryl: Any other house? Yeah. Around here? You never know.

Prue: (from upstairs) Piper! Phoebe!

[Cut to the attic. Prue's there. Piper, Phoebe, and Darryl walk in.]

Piper: What? What is it?

Prue: That door was unlocked.

Darryl: So?

Prue: So ever since a demon tried to steal the Book of Shadows a couple of weeks ago I've been locking it.

Darryl: You lock _this_ door, but you don't lock the front door?

Piper: _I_ lock the front door.

Phoebe: Me too. Mostly.

Prue: I don't. Why bother?

Darryl: Because you're _three young women_. In fact, your _whole_ attitude about security baffles me. You have no alarm system, no deadbolts, no _dog_.

Prue: Darryl, we're three witches. I think we can handle it.

Darryl: (about the door) It wasn't jimmied.

Phoebe: So, what, you're thinking we're dealing with a lock-picking demon, Prue?

Piper: It doesn't look like anything's missing from up here either.

Phoebe: i just think it's ludicrous to rule out that a _human_ could've done this.

Prue: Yes, well, I think it's ludicrous to think that the Triad has got _nothing_ to do with it.

Piper: Um, Darryl, why don't you go check on those fingerprints? We need to have a little conference here.

Darryl: Okay. Good night.

Phoebe: 'Night.

(Darryl leaves.)

Prue: Leo!

Piper: Uh, Prue? Maybe a little perspective here for a second.

Prue: _Leo!_

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: _What?_ What is it? What is the problem?

Prue: I need to know everything that you know about the Triad.

Leo: You _what_?

(Piper giggles and grins at Leo.)

Piper: Hi.

Leo: Hi.

Prue: _Okay._ Well, this really can't wait. You know, the Triad sent somebody back in time and nearly wiped out our entire line. And I am willing to bet that it's the same demon that we found up here a couple of weeks ago. (She picks up the Book of Shadows.) Now, if you guys don't wanna take that seriously, that's your business. Me? I'm on a mission.

(Prue leaves.)

Leo: Oh.

Phoebe: We really need to get her laid, huh?

(Piper and Leo grin at each other.)

Leo: Hi.

(Piper giggles. Leo and Piper stand close together.)

Phoebe: I think I'm gonna go.

(She leaves.)

Piper: So….

[Scene: The Triad is standing in a circle. Cole appears.]

Triad #1: We grow impatient, Belthazor. We did not expect it to take this long.

Cole: You had _two years_ by their time without success. I've had _a month_.

Triad #2: A month with _two years worth of information_. Information collected by the _blood of demons_ before you.

Cole: The eldest one, Prue, is almost within my grasp.

Triad #3: That's not why we summoned you. We're assigning another.

Cole: You're replacing me? We had a bargain. I get the Charmed Ones for you, you give me back my-!

Triad #2: That bargain is in _your_ best interests, not ours.

Triad #1: Don't look at it as replacement, Belthazor. Look at it as assistance.

Triad #2: However, if either of you should be caught, the same maxims apply. We can't risk either of you leading the Charmed Ones to us.

Cole: May I know who you're sending?

Triad #2: _Sent_ , you mean.

Triad #1: _Troxa_ has already started.

[Scene: Manor. Porch. Troxa is there. He turns invisible, opens the door, and walks inside.]

[Cut to Piper's room. Leo and Piper stumble in. They are kissing.]

Piper: Leo?

Leo: Piper?

Piper: We _can't_.

Leo: _Yes, we can._

(He continues to kiss her. Piper stops him.)

Piper: No, I can't. I feel like... I'm being watched.

Leo: _Piper_ , you have to get past this.

Piper: Yeah…. (They continue kissing and lay down on the bed. Someone opens the door slightly.) Okay, um, how about you tell them to look the other way?

Leo: _They're not looking._ How many times do we have to have this conversation?

Piper: Well, how do you know? How can you be sure?

Leo: Because I told you, that's not what they do.

Piper: Okay, then how do you explain the last _two times_ , count of two.

Leo: That was _sheer_ coincidence, I'm telling you. Look, come on, Piper, we _need_ to get past this.

Piper: Yeah, and I need to feel like it's just you and me and not the whole _universe_ watching. (The door closes.) I'm sorry.

Leo: It's _okay_. I guess I better go find Prue some answers.

Piper: Yeah. (They kiss and Leo orbs out in the middle.) Oohh!

[Cut to the attic. Prue is asleep in a chair. Invisible Troxa walks over to Prue. He picks up a pillow and holds it above her face. The doorbell rings and Prue wakes up and uses her power. He flies across the room. She stands up and looks around before going to answer the door.]

[Cut to the foyer. Prue is answering the door.]

Prue: Cole, what are you doing here?

Cole: Are you alright? I just heard.

Prue: Heard what?

(Piper and Phoebe come down the stairs.)

Cole: Uh, about what happened, the break in. You guys okay?

Prue: You came all the way over her for me? I mean, for us?

Cole: Did you get a look at who it was?

Prue: No.

Cole: I'm gonna make a call. Get a patrol car to watch the place.

Prue: That's alright, actually. I think that we can handle it.

Cole: No, you can't. I mean, you have no idea what kind of evil you're dealing with here.

Piper: Yes, well, we were actually just discussing that, weren't we, Prue?

(The door opens and Cole sees it. It quickly closes.)

Prue: Uh, Cole? We actually do have something very important that we have to discuss.

Cole: That's alright. I-I really should get going anyway. It's late, I, um…. Call me, anytime.

Prue: Yeah, I will. Thanks. (He leaves.) Okay, so, I was up in the attic, and when I woke up there was a pillow hovering above my face about to smother me.

Piper: A pillow?

Phoebe: _Hovering_? (Prue nods.) Well, that must be the infamous pillow-smothering demon.

Piper: Maybe it was just a nightmare?

Prue: It wasn't a nightmare and it certainly wasn't a joke. There's a demon after me or us, I know it.

Phoebe: Okay.

[Cut to the porch. Cole is there.]

Cole: Come out, come out wherever you are.

(Invisible Troxa grabs Cole around the neck and pushes him against the wall. Troxa turns visible.)

Troxa: What do you think the Triad will say when I tell them that you _saved_ the witches?

Cole: That I didn't want you to get 'em first.

(Troxa lets go of his neck.)

Troxa: You had your chances, Belthazor. Don't screw up mine again. I strike tomorrow night, you better not be there.

Cole: You don't scare me, Troxa. You never did.

Troxa: And you don't know how to defeat me, Belthazor, you never could. After all, (he turns invisible) you can't fight what you can't see.

(Troxa pins him against the wall again. He lets go and Cole coughs. He hears someone coming and disappears. Prue opens the front door and looks around.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Phoebe and Piper are there. Piper's drinking some coffee.]

Phoebe: Give me a hit of that. Actually, no, just pour it down my throat.

Piper: You didn't sleep either?

Phoebe: Not a wink. Thank god for make-up. (Piper pours her some coffee.) Hey, maybe we should get an alarm system.

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Hey, Phoebs, did you borrow Grams' necklace again?

Phoebe: No.

Prue: Are you sure?

Phoebe: Yeah, I'm positive. Why?

Prue: What about my good luck blouse? Have you guys seen it?

Phoebe: The fuchsia paisley one? (Phoebe shakes her head.)

Piper: Is anything else missing?

Prue: Not that I know of.

Phoebe: Prue, this is important. Maybe the guy that broke into the house took them.

Prue: Yeah, or maybe it was a demon who took them for some weird ritualistic ceremony?

Piper: _Ohh_.

Phoebe: Now would that be the, um, pillow-smothering demon, or the lock-picking demon?

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: They called me away on something else, Piper. I swear, it was a total coincidence.

Piper: _Mmm hmm_.

Leo: As far as the Triad's concerned, they don't know much, they don't even know what it really is.

Prue: Wow, six thousand years of conflict and that's it? Those guys are serious underachievers.

Leo: What they do know though, is that the Triad is at the highest level of the other side.

Phoebe: Okay, that's a biggie.

Prue: Yeah, well, that's why we need to get them before they get us.

(Prue hands Piper and Phoebe a bag.)

Piper: What is this?

Prue: A way to always be prepared.

Phoebe: These are very big contraceptives, Prue.

Prue: They are sneakers, alright. You know, we're always wearing inappropriate footwear when demons attack. Now we will be prepared. Keep them with you at all times.

Phoebe: I am gonna be so fast in these.

(The doorbell rings.)

[Cut to the foyer. Everyone walks in and Piper opens the door.]

Darryl: Hi.

Piper: Hi.

Darryl: We're making progress. (He walks inside.) The same set of fingerprints were found on all of the broken mirrors.

Leo: Whose are they?

Darryl: Unfortunately the FBI computer came up with a blank. Which just means the perp had no criminal record.

Piper: So what does that mean? That it's some weird crazy person?

Darryl: I can't say, I don't have enough to go on. I mean, we've got broken mirrors and nothing's missing.

Phoebe: Actually, there is stuff missing. Our grandmother's necklace and Prue's favourite shirt.

Darryl: It's funny that's the only thing he took. You know, there is another possibility. Could be looking at a stalker.

Leo: A stalker?

Piper: Who would want to stalk us?

Darryl: Could be anybody. I need you to get a _human_ grudge list together. Old classmates, people you work _with_ or _for_ , old boyfriends….

Prue: Alright, well, if it's a stalker, it's a _demonic_ stalker.

Darryl: In any case, I need that grudge list ASAP. Stalkers will do _anything_ to obtain the object of their desire. You could be in _real_ danger.

Prue: Thanks.

Darryl: Bye.

(He leaves.)

Phoebe: You need to listen to him, Prue.

Prue: Why? No one listens to me. Here. (She hands Piper her shoes.) I gotta go. If the demon doesn't kill me, my editor will.

[Scene: Outside Cole's office. An invisible Troxa walks out of the elevator and down the hall. He walks into Cole's office. Cole is there standing by the window. Troxa walks over and picks up a letter opener. Cole turns around holding a fire extinguisher and sprays Troxa. Troxa turns visible.]

Cole: I did some research, Troxa. (He hits Troxa in the face with the fire extinguisher and he falls over Cole's desk.) I found your Achilles' heel. Cold is very revealing for you. Although, worse, because since you can't feel, you don't even know when it's cold.

Troxa: First them, then you.

(Troxa leaves.)

[Scene: Studio. Prue is there with a snake hunter. She is going to take photos of him.]

Prue: Just do what you normally do on your TV show, okay. Just pretend that I'm the audience.

Snake Hunter: (Australian accent) Okay, right. Now, the Australian Black Snake won't just run out of a bush and strike at ya for no good reason. _They_ strike as a defense mechanism. That's the only way they can protect themselves. Now, you may wonder how we enticed this little beaut out of the wild to join us today. Over here. The only humane way to capture a snake, (He walks over to a cage. Someone is standing behind the bushes taking photos of Prue.) is to use a snake trap. You lure them in with a ripping snake snack. Like a... tiny Mickey mouse or a froggie.

Prue: Uh, what did you say the cage was used for again?

Man: Trapping snakes. Or any other varmints you might want to get rid of.

Prue: _Really_?

Snake Hunter: Yeah. Go on, beaut. (He puts the snake back in the cage.) There you go.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Phoebe walks up to the bar.]

Phoebe: Abbey. Abbey, hi.

Abbey: Hi.

Phoebe: Where's Piper?

Abbey: Oh, she's in the back, in the office.

Phoebe: Okay, thanks.

[Cut to the office. Piper and Leo are there making out. Leo has his shirt off. Phoebe walks in.]

Phoebe: Whoaaaaa! I should've knocked, I'm sorry!

(Phoebe walks back out and closes the door.)

Piper: It's okay! (Phoebe pokes her head back in the room.) I can't do it anyway.

Phoebe: I am so sorry to hear that.

Leo: I guess I better go.

Piper: Yeah. (Leo orbs out.) I am so tired of living under this _scrutiny_.

(Piper walks out of the room. They head towards the bar.)

Phoebe: I told you that I didn't see anything.

Piper: Not you, them. I thought doing it somewhere else might take the pressure off.

Phoebe: Mmm, I'm bummed for you, Piper, I really am. But I gotta tell you, Leo is looking _fine_.

Piper: I thought you said you didn't see anything?

Phoebe: Well, nothing good. (Phoebe takes some pieces of paper out of her purse.) Okay, here is my stalker list. It's mostly guys that I knew when I was in New York.

Piper: Wow, you were busy in New York.

Phoebe: Yeah, um, so now that we have mine and yours, all we need is…. (Prue walks up to them. She is all dressed up.) _Prue_. _Wow_ , you look different.

Piper: Relaxed.

Phoebe: What happened?

Prue: I'm just not as worried about demons as much anymore.

Phoebe: What happened to there's-a-demon-on-my-ass!Prue?

Prue: Well, um, I set a trap.

Piper: A trap?

Prue: Mmm hmm. We are going to _catch_ this demon, and instead of vanquishing him like we normally do, we're gonna make him talk, about the Triad.

Phoebe: So is this... like a bear trap with big claws?

Prue: I cast a spell over a series of siderite crystals, (she holds up a crystal) sort of creating a power grid with the Book of Shadows as bait.

Piper: And how does that work?

Prue: Well, the minute the demon steps into the grid, this glows, and he's zapped.

Piper: So whatever it is is _electrocuted_.

Prue: Yeah, well, whatever _demon_.

Phoebe: Mmm hmm, and what about human? Or _feline_? You're gonna _fry_ Kit.

Prue: Well, Kit can't get in 'cause I locked the attic door.

Piper: So, Prue, you've _booby-trapped_ our house.

Prue: Mmm hmm.

Phoebe: And again, what if it's human?

Prue: It's not.

(Prue walks away.)

Piper: This is not good.

Phoebe: _No_ , if she keeps this up we're gonna have to do a demon intervention.

[Scene: Manor. Cole opens the front door.]

Cole: Prue?! Anybody home?!

(He walks in and closes the door. He turns up the air conditioning. He walks into the living room, picks up a lamp, and drops it on the floor. He opens all the windows and then shimmers away.)

[Cut to the attic. Cole shimmers in. He opens the attic door and the windows. He picks up Prue's notepad and looks at it. He sees the Book of Shadows and walks over to it. He steps into the trap and gets zapped. He falls to the floor.]

[Cut to P3. The crystal glows.]

Prue: _Oh_ , _oh_ , it _worked_.

(Prue runs over to Piper and Phoebe.)

Prue: Alright, it worked. We caught our demon, so let's go.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in.]

Prue: Alright, we don't really know what kind of demon this is, so we have to go in attacking. Piper, you freeze him, and I will tie him up.

Piper: Speaking of freezing... it's freezing in here.

Phoebe: That's because every window in the house is open. What kind of demon would do that?

Prue: Oh, who cares? Has everybody got their sneakers on?

Piper: Yeah

Phoebe: Yeah.

Prue: Alright.

(They run upstairs.)

[Cut to the attic. They run in. Prue turns on the light. They see Cole lying there.]

Piper: _Cole_?

Prue: What? Oh my god, he looks really hurt. (Prue kneels down beside Cole and rests his head on her knees.) What are you doing here?

Cole: I came by to see how you're doing.

Prue: Are you okay? How did you get in? What are you doing up here?

Cole: Front door was unlocked, and then, when I saw the windows were open….

Prue: You thought that someone broke into the house again.

(Cole stands up.)

Cole: What happened? What's that?

Piper: Uhh….

Prue: It's a trap.

Cole: A what?

[Time lapse. Everyone is coming down the stairs.]

Prue: Cole, I am so sorry. Please forgive us.

Cole: I'll take that under advisement.

Prue: I just panicked. I wasn't thinking straight.

Cole: Do you know that your trap is the equivalent of having a loaded shotgun with a trip wire behind your front door? That's _illegal_! I'm an ADA, an officer of the court. I could have you arrested!

Piper: Somebody turned on the air conditioning. Why would they do that?

Cole: I'm outta here.

(He walks outside and Prue follows.)

Prue: Cole! Cole! I am so sorry. It's just we've all been under so much pressure lately.

(He leaves.)

Phoebe: How could you? How far are you gonna let this obsession go, Prue?

Prue: Phoebe, listen-

Phoebe: No, I'm not gonna listen, Prue! You didn't nearly catch a demon, you nearly _killed_ a district attorney! _Your_ district attorney! But hey, maybe he's a plant, trying to get close to you, so that he can kill us. Now is _everyone_ a demon, Prue? You are _crazy_ right now!

(She leaves.)

Piper: Maybe Phoebe's right, maybe you're just not seeing the reality.

Prue: Piper, my instincts are almost always right. I have to trust them.

Piper: You _have_ to trust them. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't. But, Prue, there are other evils in the world, and some of them are even _human_.

[Cut to outside. Cole's there leaning against his car. Troxa walks up to him.]

Troxa: I warned you, Belthazor.

Cole: Hold it, Troxa. Cool your jets. I came to apologize.

Troxa: _Apologize_? For _what_?

Cole: _Pissing you off_ , for one thing. I don't wanna be always looking over my shoulder waiting for you to strike for the rest of eternity. You want the Charmed Ones, they're all yours.

Troxa: I don't trust you.

Cole: _Fine_ , don't. Just don't blame your failure on me to the Triad. (Troxa starts to walk off and turns invisible.) Oh, by the way, the key to getting them is in the Book of Shadows! It's up in the attic!

[Cut back inside. Phoebe and Piper are in the living room. Phoebe is slamming shut all the windows.]

Piper: _Be careful_.

Phoebe: Oh, you know what? I don't care. I'm just so mad at Prue. I mean, it's one thing to be obsessed, you know, but it's another thing to hurt _innocent people_.

Piper: Okay, but she is trying to look out for us. There is a Triad demon on the loose.

Phoebe: I understand that, Piper.

(Leo orbs in holding a large Hershey's Kiss.)

Piper: Oh, honey, that's sweet, but not tonight. We _all_ have headaches.

Leo: _Okay_.

Phoebe: But feel free to help us close some windows.

[Cut to the foyer. Invisible Troxa opens the door and walks up the stairs.]

[Cut to the attic. Prue's there closing the windows. Troxa walks in. Prue steps on some glass and then sees Troxa's reflection in the mirror. She uses her power and he flies into the wall. He turns fully visible and pounces on Prue. She pushes him into the trap and he gets zapped. She pulls one of the crystals out of the grid and stops zapping him.]

Prue: I want you to tell me everything that you know about the Triad. Who they are, what their plans are. Answer me.

(Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk in.)

Troxa: You'll get nothing from me, witch. (She puts the crystal back in the grid and zaps him. She pulls it away.) I... am... Troxa. But I'm not the only agent that the Triad has sent after you. There is another. His name... is Belthazor!

(Troxa is engulfed in flames and he disappears in a hole in the floor.)

Prue: Alright, what the hell happened?!

Leo: The Triad.

Phoebe: Wait, so they know where we live now?

Piper: No, they know where he is, or was. All that matters is he's gone.

Phoebe: You were right, Prue. I owe you a big apology.

Piper: I'm sorry I doubted you, but I was worried-

Prue: It's alright. Let's just, uh, let's look him up.

(They go over to the Book of Shadows and flip through the pages.)

Piper: Troxa, an _invisible_ demon. His weakness is that his ectoplasmic biochemistry is sensitive to cold, may become partially visible.

Prue: Wait a second, so if someone hadn't turned on the A/C, opened up all the windows and made it _freezing_ in here, I never would've seen him. Leo?

Leo: I don't know anything about it at all.

Phoebe: Does that mean we have another guardian angel?

Leo: Well, I hope so. From what I've heard about Belthazor, we're gonna need all the help we can get.

Piper: What do you mean?

Leo: Well, he's infamous. He's a demonic soldier of fortune. He's one of the most evil, vile creatures there is.

(They flip the pages and find Belthazor.)

Phoebe: Wait, that's the demon we saw try to take the Book of Shadows a couple of weeks ago.

Piper: So Troxa's right. There's somebody else out there to get us.

Prue: Well, at least now we know who he is.

Piper: But we're safe for now. So I'm going to take this _rare_ opportunity to get a good night's sleep.

Leo: I'll go see what I can find out about Belthazor. (Piper walks over to him.) Enjoy your candy.

Piper: Thank you.

(They kiss.)

Leo: Sure.

(She leaves the room and Leo orbs out.)

Phoebe: Are you gonna be able to get some rest now?

Prue: No, I am _way_ too wired, and also my photo assignment is due tomorrow.

[Time lapse. Prue is in the basement developing her photos. The photos turn out to be pictures of herself. Somebody appears behind her and pushes her head into the photo water.]

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper and Phoebe are there.]

Piper: I've gotta meet Marvelous 3 this afternoon, so I need to get some stuff ready. Can I drop you off? Hello? Anybody home?

Phoebe: Uh, yeah, I-I was just thinking. There are still so many loose ends. I mean, the broken mirrors, the A/C, the open windows, the stuff that's missing.

Piper: Are you obsessing now? It's over, we were wrong.

Phoebe: I know, but those aren't demonic things, they're things that a _stalker_ might do. Like what Morris said.

Piper: Well, he'll figure it out.

Phoebe: Yeah... Um, where's our copy of the grudge list that we made for Morris?

Piper: I left it at the club. Why?

Phoebe: I just wanna look it over again.

Piper: Okay, well, let's go. Is Prue still sleeping?

Phoebe: Her bed is made and her car is not here.

Piper: Well, maybe she took her pictures to 415.

Phoebe: It's really early. I mean, is 415 even open yet? I'm gonna call her.

(Phoebe dials Prue's number.)

[Cut to the basement. Prue is tied up in a chair. Abbey is there. Prue's phone rings and Abbey answers it.]

Phoebe: It's me, I'm just checking in. Where are you?

Abbey: I'm-I'm in my car.

(The phone starts breaking up.)

Phoebe: Hello? Prue, I can barely hear you.

Abbey: Yeah, I'm fine, I'll see you later, honey, bye.

(She hangs up.)

[Cut back to the kitchen.]

Phoebe: She sounds fine.

Piper: Okay.

Phoebe: Okay, let's go.

[Cut back to the basement. Abbey hears them leave.]

Abbey: Bye bye. It's just you and me now, Prue. Your sisters are gone.

(Prue's eyes are red and her vision is blurred.)

Prue: What do you want?

(Abbey takes off her shirt.)

Abbey: Oh, Prue, isn't it obvious what I want, huh? (She puts on one of Prue's shirts.) I wanna be _you_. What, no witty comeback? No confident 'I'm the queen of the world' retort?

Prue: _Abbey_?

Abbey: No, you're wrong! Abbey's gone forever! She's a loser and you're a winner! And _now_ , I'm gonna be a winner too. As soon as I take care of you. (She puts on a black wig.) Did you even know that I was the one who broke into your house? I have to be _you_. Oh, I love wearing your clothes, your things! Makes me wanna be you even more. Beautiful, successful, loved by men.

Prue: I have just as much trouble with men as anyone.

Abbey: What, you mean Cole? Oh, _please_. He's not good enough for us. Uh-uh, no, no, I can do better. (She picks up a gun.) Without you around. Now I just have one last question. Last night, when I was here, (Prue unties her hands with her power) when I was running away from you, how the hell did you throw me through that door, huh?

Prue: Like this.

(Prue uses her power and Abbey flies across the room. She uses her power again and pushes furniture on top of her. Prue stumbles up the stairs.)

[Scene: P3. The phone is ringing. Phoebe and Piper run in. Piper answers it.]

Piper: P3.

Darryl: Piper, hey, hey, where's Prue? I can't reach her anywhere. At the manor, on her cell.

Piper: That's weird, we just talked to her on her cell. Why? What's going on?

Darryl: I got a match off those fingerprints I got at your house. Abbey, your bartender. The one off of _your_ list.

Piper: What? Abbey? Why would Abbey wanna hurt Prue?

Phoebe: Abbey's hurt Prue?

Piper: _Hold on_.

(Phoebe and Piper go into the locker room and open Abbey's locker. Piper pulls out some photos and a book.)

Phoebe: Okay, and that's the kind of perfume Prue wears, and the cosmetics that she uses.

(Piper flips through the photos. They are all pictures of Prue.)

Piper: (reading from the notebook) 'October 27th, 8:01. Prue leaves the house, gets into car. I love the way she walks, so confident and in control.'

Phoebe: 'Enters dry cleaners, smiling, the sun catches her hair. So _beautiful_.'

Piper: _Pages_ and _pictures_ …. (Phoebe touches a photo and has a premonition of Abbey shooting Prue.) What?

Phoebe: Abbey, killing Prue at the manor.

[Cut back to the manor. Prue is hiding in a closet. Abbey walks into the dining room holding her gun. She walks into the foyer and near the closet Prue is hiding in. Prue astral projects behind her.]

Prue: Hey, over here. (Abbey screams and shoots five times at astral Prue. Astral Prue disappears and reappears somewhere else.) Hey, freak, I'm over here now.

(Abbey shoots at astral Prue another four times. Prue astral projects back into her body. Prue runs out of the closet and tackles Abbey. Prue tries to escape, but Abbey pushes her against a wall. Prue hits her and pushes her on the floor. Prue finds her way into the kitchen and Abbey follows. She points her gun at Prue and shoots. The bullet freezes in mid-air. Phoebe and Piper walk in. Piper grabs the bullet out of the air.)

Phoebe: Okay, we're here.

Piper: Everything's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be _great_ as soon as I _fire_ her.

(Prue uses her power and Abbey flies into a cupboard.)

Phoebe: Nice. Feel better now?

Prue: Yeah, I'm getting there.

Piper: Alright, shake it off.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Marvelous 3 are performing on stage. Prue and Phoebe are at the bar. The new bartender serves them a drink.]

Prue: Thanks. Um, Rachel. Can I ask you a question?

Rachel: Yeah.

Prue: Are you happy?

Rachel: _Extremely_.

Prue: Boyfriend? Any career goals?

Rachel: Engaged. I'm only doing this until I get my masters in education. Then I'm gonna be a teacher.

Prue: Oh, that is just so excellent. (Prue gives her a tip.) Thank you.

Rachel: Thanks.

(She walks away.)

Prue: You know, you can never be too careful with demons _or_ mortals.

Phoebe: So rumour has it that Leo is installing an alarm system in the house.

Prue: Yeah, I know, and we're gonna have to lock the doors and do all that responsible stuff women should do in the big city.

Phoebe: I agree. And we're gonna have to watch out for Belthazor.

Prue: Yes, I agree. (Prue sees Cole walk down the stairs and walks over to him.) Hey. So... still friends?

Cole: I hope that we're more than that.

Prue: Do you? Prove it.

(Cole pulls her closer and they kiss.)

[Cut to the manor. Piper's room. A hot and sweaty Piper and Leo are laying in bed.]

Leo: Wow. You are _amazing_ when you concentrate.

Piper: And stop worrying about them? (Piper looks up.) I hope you enjoyed the show!

(They giggle and cuddle up to each other.)


	6. Primrose Empath

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Note:** With this episode, I had to change the order of so many scenes that I was forced to just remove where the Opening Titles and the Commercial Breaks would have been. Sorry.

 **Primrose Empath**

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue is there. She is trying to move a fork using her power, but it's not moving. Phoebe comes in.]

Phoebe: _Look at me_. I am a fashion blunder. A mademoiselle _don't_. Oh my god, you lost your powers?!

Prue: Can't lose what you never had.

(Prue astral projects out of the room.)

Phoebe: I hate when she plays astral games. Marco!

Prue: (from the attic) Polo!

[Cut to the attic. Prue is sitting in a chair reading a book on telekinesis. Phoebe walks in.]

Phoebe: What were you doing down there?

Prue: Practicing. Trying to use telekinesis in astral mode.

Phoebe: Hmm, witch exercises. Since when?

Prue: Since I studied up on Belthazor. The Triad couldn't have sent us a worse demon.

Phoebe: Or one with worse skin. I would hate to find myself alone with this guy.

Prue: Yeah, well, you wouldn't last long. None of us would. That's why I'm trying to teach my astral self how to fight. (Phoebe sits down in a chair.) I have a date with Cole.

Phoebe: You say that like it's a bad thing.

Prue: It's a lunch date.

Phoebe: So?

Prue: _So_ , it's not a good sign. Lunch is a cheap imitation of dinner. That's why it has its own special menu. And, you know, we _kissed_ last week. We should be on to dinner and candlelight by now.

Phoebe: Well, maybe-

Prue: Ohh!

(She holds her hand against her jaw.)

Phoebe: I can't believe you haven't taken care of that tooth.

Prue: Yeah, well, I made a dentist appointment.

Phoebe: Good. I hate to see you so miserable.

Prue: _Me too._

[Scene: Prue is driving in her car. She approaches road construction.]

Construction Worker: Stop right there, please! (Prue stops her car. Cole shimmers in nearby.) Come ahead! (A bus drives past Prue's car. A "Save the Innocent" sign is painted on the side of it. An arrow lights up pointing left. Cole flicks his hand and it points to the right.) That way! Go ahead!

(The construction worker points and Prue drives on to the right. Cole shimmers away.)

[Time lapse. Prue is in her car calling Phoebe from her cell phone.]

Phoebe: Hello?

Prue: Hey, did you cast any give me a sign spells lately?

Phoebe: No, why?

Prue: I don't know, it just seems like somebody's dropping signs right in front of me... literally.

(Prue approaches a construction worker holding a stop sign.)

Prue: Uh, I'll call you back.

(She hangs up. She notices "Final Stop" painted on a building.)

[Time lapse. Prue walks up to a construction worker.]

Prue: Excuse me.

Construction Worker #2: You're with social services, right?

Prue: No, why?

Construction Worker #2: The guy won't come out of his loft up there and we're supposed to start demolition today.

Prue: Someone still lives here?

Construction Worker #2: Well, if you can call it that. Poor guy says he hasn't stepped outside in _four years_.

(He walks away. Prue goes inside of the building. She walks up some stairs and approaches a door. She knocks on it.)

Prue: Hello?

(She opens the door, but there is a door chain on it.)

Guy's voice: Close the door. G-go away.

Prue: I just wanna talk.

Guy's voice: _Please_ , go away.

(Prue closes the door and uses her power to remove the chain. She opens the door. She sees a guy crouched down across the room. He sees her and runs to the other side of the room.)

Guy: No! Don't-don't-don't come any closer!

Prue: Are you hurt?

Guy: My head, it's _exploding_. The _pain_ , you're letting it in.

Prue: What pain?

Guy: _Everyone's_ pain, from the city, the streets. I feel it, I feel _all_ of it.

Prue: I won't hurt you.

Guy: You _are_ hurting me. Your pity, it's like... razors inside.

Prue: Please…. (She walks closer and he grabs his jaw.) I can-

Guy: Ohh, your tooth. I feel your tooth. All your pain. I can't _stand_ it. Why didn't you just _go_ when I asked?

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Leo and Piper are there.]

Leo: I-I just can't believe you introduced me as a _friend_.

Piper: Okay, social malfunction. I hadn't seen the woman in _years_. I'm sorry.

Leo: I lost my wings for you. I've hurled my body into the path of oncoming demons. You wanted heaven, and I took you there, literally. I'm _more_ than a friend.

Piper: I know, but if I had introduced you as my fiancé, she would've asked _how we met_ , when are we getting married, where the hell my _ring_ is. Questions that I can't answer, now can I?

Leo: I suppose that's how I became a _doctor_ too.

Piper: Leo, that's what you _were_. Look, what am I supposed to tell people? That I'm engaged to a _Whitelighter_? Sometimes being magical kind of takes the magic _right out of things_.

Leo: I'm sorry you feel that way.

Piper: Oh, come on. Don't _you_ sometimes? Every now and then I just wanna feel what it's like to live in the real world.

(Prue and Cole walk into the living room.)

Prue: Hey. Cole pulled up behind me.

Cole: I got held up on a case, but it was still good timing.

(Phoebe walks in.)

Prue: Uh, Phoebe, I wanted to talk to you about the signs... uh, the assignment that we were talking about on the phone.

Phoebe: Where did it lead?

Prue: To this _incredibly tragic_ guy who's scared to leave his own home, which might be okay if it weren't about to be torn down.

Cole: Was there a social worker there?

Prue: No, but I was told that a deputy was going over there this afternoon to evict him and he has no place to go.

Cole: Let me, um, make a call, see what I can do.

Piper: Kitchen.

Cole: Thank you.

[Cut to the kitchen. Cole walks in and picks up the phone. He dials a number. His shadow moves away from him.]

Cole: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where you going? (His shadow puts his hands on his hips.) We agreed no more Triad reports, not until my plan succeeds. I can't be associated with anymore failed attempts. (Prue walks in.) Prue.

Prue: Hey. (She walks past the shadow.) I just needed some aspirin for my toothache. (She gets the aspirin out of the cupboard.) Water. (She gets a bottle of water out of the fridge. She walks over to Cole.) You okay?

(She kisses him.)

Cole: Yeah, yeah, I just got disconnected. (Prue leaves the room.) Prue followed my signs. The plan will _work_. If it doesn't, then you can rat me out to the Triad.

(His shadow bows his head and walks back in place.)

[Cut back to the living room.]

Leo: Based on everything you said, Prue, it sounds like your shut-in's a future empath.

Piper: An empath? And me without my dictionary.

Leo: They're mortals who can actually feel what other people feel. It's a rare gift. When they die, they often return to earth as empaths, where they blend into society as counselors, elders, teachers…. They use their sensitivity to guide mortals, ease their pain, even heal them.

Prue: I don't think this guy would look at it as a gift. He's one big raw nerve ending. You should've seen how he reacted to my toothache.

Leo: Well, it could be he's rejecting his gift. Fighting the emotions he feels instead of embracing them.

Piper: Well, he sure sounds like an innocent to me.

Leo: It'd be a shame to lose a future empath and all the good he'll do.

Prue: I care less about his afterlife than his current one. I know what it's like to receive a power that you just _do not_ understand.

Phoebe: What I don't understand is who sent the signs that you followed.

Leo: It's hard to say. Could be them, could be-

Piper: Cole.

(Cole walks in.)

Cole: I got a guy at Housing Authority who will relocate your shut-in, if he leaves voluntarily. (He writes a number on a card and hands it to Prue.) Here's my card. Have him page me.

Prue: Thanks. Alright. I'll go after our date.

Piper: Do you want us to go with you?

Prue: No, this guy can barely deal with one person, let alone three, but thank you.

Cole: Okay then, ready for lunch?

Prue: Mmm.

Leo: Lunch would be great. Would you mind if we joined you? I mean, it'd be great. Two couples, out on the town, in the _real_ world. What could be greater?

Cole: (to Prue) It's up to you.

Prue: Why not?

[Scene: Crest Hills Psychiatric Hospital. An elderly man is sitting in a chair reading the newspaper. Father Thomas is standing next to him looking out the window. He glances over the man's shoulder and sees an article on the newspaper.]

Father Thomas: _No._ (He runs over to the nurse.) I have to get out.

Nurse: It's okay, Father Thomas, relax.

Father Thomas: No, you don't understand, they're tearing it down. I have to get there.

Nurse: Hold on now.

(A male nurse grabs Father Thomas.)

Father Thomas: No, please, let me go. I have to get to that building. I must protect the innocent.

Nurse: A little help here.

[Scene: Restaurant. Prue, Cole, Piper, and Leo are sitting at a table. They have finished lunch. No one is talking.]

Prue: So, how about those Niners?

Cole: What?

Prue: The Niners. The 49ers. The football team? You don't follow football? (Cole takes a mouthful of his drink.) He isn't human. (Cole chokes on his drink.) You okay?

Cole: Check!

(Prue and Piper look at each other.)

Prue: Um, we're gonna be right back.

(They walk away.)

Piper: Prue, I know you're upset Leo crashed your lunch date but-

Prue: No, it's not that. Cole is pulling away from me again, I can see it.

Piper: _Oh…._

[Cut back to the guys.]

Leo: Look, Cole, before the girls get back, I need to tell you something.

Cole: Do I have spinach in my teeth?

Leo: Huh? Oh, no, no, it has to do with Prue. Um, I just feel very protective of her, we all do, you know. She's been through a lot, a lot of loss.

Cole: I sense that.

Leo: Well, she's into you, I can tell. So whatever your intentions are, I just want you to be straight with her, okay. I don't wanna see her get hurt.

Cole: Heaven forbid.

(Prue and Piper come back over to the table.)

Prue: What did we miss?

Cole: Leo was just giving me investment advice.

Piper: Really?

Cole: Yeah.

(The waitress hands Cole the check.)

Cole: Oh. (to Leo) Why don't we split this?

Leo: Uh….

(Leo reaches into his pocket.)

Piper: Oh, honey, did you forget your wallet again?

Leo: I guess so.

Piper: I got it.

(Piper gets out her credit card and hands it to the waitress.)

[Scene: At the building. Prue is there. A deputy won't let her back in.]

Deputy: I'm sorry, ma'am. I know he's scared, but I personally handed him a final eviction notice two weeks ago.

Cole: Officer. Cole Turner, assistant district attorney. I know the case and I want to help if we can keep the guy out of jail.

Deputy: You've got three minutes.

Prue: Thank you.

(She walks inside while Cole waits outside.)

[Cut to inside. Prue uses her power and removes the door chain. She walks in.]

Prue: Hello? (The guy is sitting on a mattress on the floor.) Hey. It's me again, Prue. Took a pain reliever for my tooth. The deputy downstairs told me that your name's Vince. What's your last name?

Vince: Misery.

Prue: Well, in that case would you like some company?

Vince: That's not funny.

Prue: Yeah, neither is your situation. Vince, you know that deputy's here to arrest you for civil disobedience.

Vince: I'll _die_ if they put me in jail.

Prue: I believe you. That's why I came back, to find you a new home. But you have to leave here with me now.

Vince: I can't. I _can't_ go outside.

Prue: Vince, I know what it's like. I know what it's like to have a gift that you _can't_ control, that you _never_ asked for. And living with that is hard, _really_ hard.

Vince: Don't tell me what's hard. You avoided your pain, I feel it.

Prue: Right, then let's talk about the blessings, the rewards that come with having that gift. I mean, you can't even begin to-

Vince: _Words_ , just empty words! You don't feel them in your heart. I know. You feel... fear, panic, 'cause something's coming for you, something you're afraid you can't stop. Are these the blessings you want me to be thankful for?

Prue: I'm sorry.

Vince: Yes, you are. You _are_ sorry. And confused, and afraid, and it's drowning me alive.

(The deputy bangs on the door.)

Deputy: Deputy, time's up, open the door!

Vince: Can't you see this is _not_ a gift? This is a curse, I am _cursed_ , to feel everything _all the time_ from _everyone_. I _can't_ go outside that door. Not now, not _ever_.

Deputy: I'm coming in. (Prue holds the door closed with her power.) Hey!

Vince: How'd you do that?

Prue: I was sent here to help you and that's what I'm gonna do. "Free the empath, release his gift, (he holds her hand) let his pain be cast adrift."

(She stops using her power and the door opens.)

Deputy: What the hell's the matter with you people?

Prue: Sorry, deputy, that door stuck on me too. He's ready now.

Vince: But how?

Prue: We'll talk later. Um, the DA, Cole Turner, is downstairs. He can find a place for you to go.

Vince: Thank you. You don't know what you just did for me. I'll be down in a moment.

(Prue leaves.)

Deputy: Let's get you out of this dump. (Vince walks over to the deputy.) What's the matter with you?

Vince: Just wondering what you're feeling right now.

Deputy: Yeah, why's that?

(Vince grabs him around the neck and the deputy's face starts to burn.)

Vince: Because I can't feel a thing.

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Prue and Cole are there. Prue opens the door but then closes it.]

Prue: Uh, you know what? Is there something wrong?

Cole: No.

Prue: It's just…. You haven't said anything since we left Vince.

Cole: A lot on my mind, I guess.

Prue: Work?

Cole: Yeah, sort of. I don't know how to say this-

Prue: Uh-oh. Don't ever start a sentence like that with a girl. You don't wanna see me anymore, do you? Right. I never accept a lunch date.

Cole: It's got nothing to do with you. I mean, about... how I... feel about... you.

Prue: I don't understand. I think that I deserve to know.

Cole: I promise you'll understand soon. Maybe more than you'll want to. (Cole's pager beeps. He looks at it.) I have to take this. Forgive me.

(He opens the door. Phoebe walks up the stairs. Cole walks past her and leaves.)

Prue: Ohh….

(Prue closes the door.)

Phoebe: Are you okay?

Prue: Whoa, I haven't felt anything like that since Andy was alive.

Phoebe: Anything like what?

Prue: Spinning into infinity. You know, that headlong spiral that steals your breath and stops your heart.

Phoebe: Prue, what the hell are you talking about?

Prue: Falling in love.

Phoebe: Falling in love…. Who's falling in love?

Prue: Cole. And I think I'm falling in love too.

(Prue grins. Phoebe and Prue walk into the kitchen where Leo and Piper are.)

Phoebe: We've got a problem. Prue cast a spell to remove Vince's pain.

Piper: Who's Vince?

Phoebe: The shut-in. But I think, and call it a hunch, that it backfired and made Prue an empath.

Leo: What kind of hunch?

(Phoebe pinches Piper and Prue feels it too.)

Prue/Piper: Ow!

(Piper pinches Phoebe.)

Prue/Phoebe: Ooh!

Piper: _Uh-oh._

Prue: Oh, okay, I don't really know how it happened. Alright, all I was trying to do was help an innocent. What is that I'm feeling? (to Leo) You. You're feeling fear. Spill it.

Leo: I-I'm afraid that you're in danger. You weren't meant to receive this gift, you can't handle it.

Prue: No, okay, you're looking at it all wrong. Okay, I was guided to Vince, remember? Maybe I was meant to have this gift.

Piper: But Prue, you're not an empath, you're just a witch.

Prue: Right, a witch whose power comes from her _emotions_. Alright, look. I-I-I was looking for a power boost to fight Belthazor, maybe this is it. Will you guys _please_ stop being so negative?

Phoebe: We didn't say anything.

Prue: Yeah, but I can feel all of your-

(The TV in the kitchen blows up. Piper screams.)

Leo: _What was that?!_

Prue: I think I did it. It's just all of your doubts are _screaming_ in my head. I-I've gotta get control of this.

Phoebe: In the Book of Shadows, maybe there's something about empaths. You should go to see Cole. I know that you're dying to see him.

Prue: I did not say that.

Phoebe: Prue, go to him, alright. Tell him what's in your heart. If he's really in love with you, I think that you'll find him receptive.

Prue: Phoebe, I can't. Do you really think he'll be receptive?

Phoebe: Yes. Now go get your man.

Prue: I will. After I figure out this empath stuff.

(They hug and then leave together. Piper and Leo follow.)

Leo: We'll help you out.

Prue: No, no, no, we'll hit the book. You guys' couple issues are really starting to hurt my head.

Piper: Wait, we have _couple issues_?

Prue: (points to Leo) Resentment, (points to Piper) denial. Be nice.

(She goes upstairs with Phoebe.)

Piper: Uh, _Leo_ , what is it exactly that you _resent_?

Leo: Well, I tried to step out in the real world today like you wanted.

Piper: Yes, and I appreciated your subtle, yet effective, lunch invitation.

Leo: I-I was humiliated.

Piper: _When?_

Leo: _When?_ When the _bill_ came. You know, Piper, in my time men opened doors for women when they walked in, and they stood up when they left, and they always, _always_ paid for meals.

Piper: I just _assumed_ that you were okay with it.

Leo: I'm _not_.

Piper: Well, then you should've _said_ something.

(They walk in the living room.)

Leo: Piper, you want me in the real world, but I am not _of_ this world.

Piper: I know, and I-I see your point. I'm sorry. I didn't understand. (They sit on the couch.) I know this must be very difficult for you.

Leo: It is.

Piper: Leo, you have to understand that I am very proud to be with you. And _so_ proud that I want to share you with the rest of the world, _my_ world. And you know, the other stuff, we'll figure out.

(They kiss.)

Prue: (from upstairs) Not now, I have a headache!

(They stop and look at each other.)

[Scene: The building. Vince is there. Cole shimmers in.]

Vince: Belthazor.

Cole: I got your page.

Vince: I owe you for sending me the witch. It went down just like you said. Thanks.

Cole: You made physical contact during the spell.

Vince: I could feel the empathic cancer pass out of me and right into her. How did you know that would happen?

Cole: That's how you got it, isn't it? How long does she have?

Vince: She's mortal. She won't be able to fight it like a demon can. I give her a day until the weight of human emotion crushes her. You'll enjoy watching it.

Cole: I'll be out of town. I don't need to see them suffer.

Vince: _Compassion._ From _you_ , Belthazor? I think maybe you've been undercover a little too long.

Cole: _Not_ your concern.

Vince: True. My only concern is the empath who cursed me, Father Thomas. And I know just where to track him down.

(Cole grabs Vince and pushes him against the wall.)

Cole: No, I can't risk the witches finding you and reversing their magic.

Vince: You forget who I was before I was an empath, Belthazor. I'm immune to their powers.

Cole: Maybe, but you're not immune to mine.

Vince: Understood.

[Scene: A church. Vince is there. He pushes a woman against a wall.]

Vince: Where did Father Thomas go?

Woman: Crest Hills. It's a psychiatric hospital.

Vince: If I were capable of feelings I might enjoy the irony of that. What happened to the good Father? Pray tell.

Woman: Nervous breakdown. Three years ago. Something about... losing his gift to help others.

Vince: Well, he might wanna worry about who's going to help him, as should you.

(He grabs her around the neck and her face burns.)

[Scene: Manor. Prue is crouched down in the basement holding her head. She can feel everyone's pain. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo come down the stairs.]

Piper: Prue? What's the matter?

Phoebe: What are you doing in the basement?

(Prue stands up. She has tears in her eyes.)

Prue: I'm just trying to escape. The emotions, they're-they're-they're _everywhere_. I can't get away.

Leo: What do you mean?

Prue: It's not just you, Piper, and Phoebe I-I-I'm picking up things from other people's houses. They're…. These people, they're in my head, and they're in my heart, and it just _hurts_. (Piper moves towards her and Prue backs into a corner.) No, just stay away, Piper, no contact.

Piper: Okay.

(Prue sits in the corner and cries.)

Prue: God, it is just so hard to concentrate, to even talk, I just want it to go away. My head…. It feels like it's gonna split.

(The light breaks and the roof of the basement cracks.)

Phoebe: What was that?

Leo: Her empathic ability. The more she feels, the more powerful she becomes.

Piper: Alright, if this is a gift, we are returning it. It was not meant for you. Come on, we're gonna find this Vince guy. Come on. (They help her up.) I know, I know, you're gonna be okay.

[Scene: The building. Police are there. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are there. The paramedics push a stretcher with a body on it past them.]

Phoebe: Oh, this does _not_ look good.

Piper: I'm starting to smell a demon.

Leo: If you're right, it would explain why the empathic gift didn't kill him.

Piper: I think we should stop calling this a gift.

Phoebe: Okay, so how did the demon, formerly known as Vince, become empathic anyway?

Leo: Well, I'm guessing that he got the power from a true empath. It would act like a curse on the demon, make him feel the pain that he inflicts.

[Time lapse. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk into Vince's former room and Phoebe has a premonition of Vince killing people.)

Piper: Phoebe? Okay, come on.

(They walk back outside.)

Phoebe: Okay, we're definitely right about the demon theory.

Piper: That was a premonition? But you didn't touch anything.

Leo: This room must be dripping with psychic remnants.

Piper: Well, what did you see?

Phoebe: Uh, murders, and lots of them. Like a big demon killing spree.

Piper: Just random?

Phoebe: No, more like a mission.

Leo: Could be he's looking for revenge on the empath who cursed him.

Piper: Well, if we're gonna help Prue, then we gotta get there first. What was the last murder you saw?

Phoebe: A man at a mental hospital. Crest Hills. But I don't know if it happened already.

Piper: Well, there's only one way to find out.

[Scene: Crest Hills Psychiatric Hospital. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are there. Phoebe is signing in.]

Nurse: And who are you here to visit today?

Phoebe: Um, we came to visit our father.

Nurse: What's his name?

Phoebe: Dad?

Nurse: This is a psychiatric facility. We can't very well let every-

Piper: Okay.

(Piper freezes her.)

Leo: (to Prue) This place is a minefield for you, you should wait here.

Prue: No, if Vince comes, I need to be there to reverse the spell.

(They walk into a room where all the patients are.)

Phoebe: That looks like the guy from my premonition. (Leo sits Prue down on a chair. Phoebe and Piper go over to Father Thomas.) Hi, excuse me, um, I know this is probably gonna sound crazy, but are you an empath?

Father Thomas: You people don't have to humour me, you know. I know you don't believe me.

Piper: No, uh, we're not doctors or patients, we're... we're witches. And we're looking for the empath who cursed a demon.

Father Thomas: I was working as a priest, helping people, when it came after me.

Piper: You mean Vince?

Father Thomas: Is that what it calls itself? Vinceres is a demonic assassin. Timeless, unstoppable.

Piper: But you stopped him. How?

Father Thomas: When the demon took my throat to kill me, I laid my hands on him, as if to heal him.

Phoebe: And you gave him your power.

Father Thomas: Yes. I didn't know if I could, but I did. I cursed Vinceres, and myself.

Piper: How did you curse yourself?

Father Thomas: I'm staring at eternity on earth with no gift and no reason to be.

Piper: Well, I can't help you with the eternity part, but I can give you a reason to be now.

Father Thomas: Yeah, I know, I know, I read the paper. We have to get to that building, and safely relocate the demon.

Phoebe: Uh, it's funny that you should mention that, because when Prue met Vinceres she thought that he was a shut-in, and-

Father Thomas: You didn't cast a spell?

Piper: She did, but-

Father Thomas: I gave up _everything_ to prevent that beast from killing again! If it's free, you can't stop it! (Prue feels his anger and furniture starts to move.) Nobody can!

(The whole room starts shaking and the patients run around.)

Patient #1: I can't take it!

Patient #2: In the walls! Can't you hear it?!

(Prue grabs her head in pain.)

[Scene: Manor. Basement. Prue's crouched down in the corner shaking. Leo's sitting on the stairs watching her.]

[Cut to the conservatory. Piper, Phoebe, and Father Thomas are there. They have found Vinceres in the Book of Shadows.]

Piper: Here he is, Vinceres. Pretty much lives up to his gloss. Unstoppable hit man, just keeps going until he gets his target.

Phoebe: Great. The _energizer demon_. So what do we do?

Father Thomas: Nothing. There's nothing you can do. It will find us and when it does we're all dead.

Piper: Well, you're just a ray of sunshine, now aren't you? (Leo walks in.) Hey, anything?

Leo: No, she won't say a word.

Piper: We've gotta snap Prue outta this or else she won't be able to reverse the spell when the demon attacks.

Father Thomas: You can't reverse the spell. Vinceres is immune to witches' magic.

Phoebe: Hold on, Prue's spell worked.

Father Thomas: That's because the demon allowed it to work. To its own advantage. You'll find your spells _useless_ now.

Phoebe: Maybe we actually don't need to reverse the spell.

Leo: What are you thinking?

Phoebe: Well, Prue's getting hit by emotions, _all_ emotions, and her powers are _tied_ to these emotions. So maybe if she can figure out a way to _channel_ them, then she'd be pretty unstoppable herself, don't you think?

Leo: Is that possible?

Father Thomas: From what I've seen, your sister is too far gone. She won't live to see the night.

Piper: Alright, that's it!

Leo: Piper-

Piper: _No._ I am sorry, but this man has experienced the entire _rainbow_ of human emotions and the best he has to give us is _self-pity_? I don't think so. Look, you used this power to stop this demon. Now my sister has your power. _Deal with it_ and then _help us_.

[Cut to the attic. Prue is still crouched down in the corner. Father Thomas and Leo walk down the stairs.]

Prue: _Go away!_

Father Thomas: I know how you feel. Your instinct is to pull away. Don't. Try to find an inner calm.

Prue: I _can't_. The pain. The noise.

Father Thomas: You're carrying a cross you were never meant to bear. I'm sorry.

Prue: Your sorrow, I can't-I can't take it. Please….

Father Thomas: You've been fighting what you feel, that's natural, and it's wrong. To find your strength as an empath, you must embrace the emotion. Focus on me. The feelings are ripping you apart because you're fighting them, like the demon did. A demon _can't handle_ human emotions, _you can_.

[Cut to the foyer. The door flies open and Vinceres walks in.]

Vinceres: Anybody home?

Phoebe: Piper, now! (Piper freezes him but he fights through it.) Okay, I guess this is the unstoppable part.

Vinceres: Where's Father Thomas?

Piper: Plan B, plan B!

(Piper picks up a vase and smashes it over his head. He pushes her across the room. Phoebe kicks him in the head. He knocks over a table. Phoebe kicks him a few more times and he grabs her and throws her across the room.)

Phoebe: Okay, uh, do we have a plan _C_?

Piper: Ugh…. (She tries to freeze him again.) Leo, _hurry_!

[Cut back to the basement.]

Father Thomas: Prue, take my hand. (She does so.) My power to ease human suffering lay in my hands. That's how I cursed the demon. You must channel the empathic gift into _your_ power.

Prue: I can't. I can't control my power.

Father Thomas: Prue, you can do this. You have a _once in a lifetime_ opportunity to feel the _world's_ emotions. All it means to be human. The good, and the bad. Don't be afraid.

[Cut back upstairs. Vinceres has Phoebe by the throat.]

Vinceres: Just tell me where the empath is and I won't kill you.

(Prue, Leo, and Father Thomas walk in.]

Prue: You want him? Come and get him.

(She uses her power and he flies against the wall.)

Vinceres: How'd you do that?

Prue: If you want the empath, you're gonna have to go through me. (to Piper and Phoebe) Stay back. This is my fight.

(Prue jumps up and kicks him. She blocks his punches. She holds onto the stair railing, walks on the wall and jumps over the railing, kicking Vince in the face.)

Vince: You can't hurt me, witch. I can handle your powers. (He grabs her around the neck and lifts her off the ground. She forces his hand away from her neck and flips over him. She blocks his punches and pushes him on the floor.) I can handle your powers.

Prue: What about pain? Human pain? (She astral projects and astral Prue jumps into him. He starts yelling and then explodes. Prue looks at astral Prue and astral Prue smiles.) The voices, they're gone.

(Piper and Phoebe go over to her.)

Phoebe: So you're not an empath anymore.

Prue: (to Father Thomas) I'm sorry. I was hoping that we could return your gift.

Father Thomas: But you did. It appears that I have the ability to understand what people are feeling even _without_ a magic assist.

Phoebe: You kicked ass.

Prue: I _did_ , didn't I?

[Scene: P3. Idol is playing. Prue and Phoebe walk up to the bar. Piper's there.]

Prue: Hey.

Piper: Hey.

Prue: You know, I cannot wait for this Novocain to wear off. (She sticks out her tongue.) Can you unfreeze my tongue?

Piper: You're lucky that dentist even saw you.

Phoebe: Okay, there's one thing I don't get. How did you vanquish Vinceres?

Prue: Well, it was something that Father Thomas said to me. Vinceres was trying to fight off the feelings of an empath because demons cannot handle human emotion.

Phoebe: And so you astral projected into his body.

Prue: Yes, carrying the emotional baggage of half of the city. I forced him to feel and he couldn't take it.

(Leo comes up to them.)

Leo: Hey.

Prue: Hey.

Leo: I just left Father Thomas. I got the connections at the archdiocese. They're gonna let him return to his church.

Piper: Thank you. You're an angel.

Leo: Well, not _technically_.

Prue: Eww.

Phoebe: So I guess the only other question is who sent the signs that lead Prue to the demon?

Prue: Well, probably the Triad. Or Belthazor. Which means we have to be careful the next time we get a sign.

Piper: Yeah, but Prue, you got quite a power boost there. Are you gonna miss it?

Prue: Yeah, but I did get to stop an unstoppable demon. Got a little taste of what my future powers are gonna be like. I'm on the right path.

Phoebe: Ooh, speaking of paths... what's up with you and your Cole dependency? Where do you guys stand?

Prue: Ohh, I have no idea. I think I'm gonna go find out right now. Yeah.

[Scene: Cole's apartment. There's a knock on the door. Cole opens his door and Prue is standing there.]

Cole: Prue, hi.

Prue: Hi.

Cole: What are you doing here?

Prue: I, um, I came to tell you something. Actually…. (She kisses him passionately.) I was always better at show than tell.

(They continue kissing. He picks her up and she wraps her legs around his waist. They lean against the door.)

Cole: You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.

Prue: Neither do you.

[Scene: Cole's apartment. The next morning. Cole and Prue are in bed. Prue is asleep. Cole touches her hair and she wakes up. He kisses her shoulder.]

Cole: Morning.

Prue: Good morning.

Cole: How you feeling about last night?

Prue: Um, last night was... magical. You?

Cole: What do you think?

(Cole tickles Prue and they laugh.)

Prue: Right here, right now, this place, it's perfect. I wish the whole world were just right in this room.

Cole: We wouldn't have to worry about what happened next.

Prue: You know, if you're hiding anything from me, you don't have to hide anything from me.

Cole: What makes you think I'm hiding something?

Prue: Hmm, for the same reason I know how you really feel about me. If you're in some kind of trouble….

Cole: I can handle it.

Prue: I can help you.

Cole: No, you can't.


	7. Power Outage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for the reviews. They are much appreciated. Please keep them coming. :) As for how things will progress, I suppose you'll have to keep reading and wait and see. Muahahaha!

 **Power Outage**

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Prue and Cole are laying in bed. They are kissing. Phoebe stops.]

Cole: What? _No_. Tell me.

Prue: I don't know. It just seems like... whenever I get close to you, you pull away from me. Why do you do that? What are you so afraid of telling me?

Cole: Prue, _don't_.

(He rolls over.)

Prue: I wanna know. I _deserve_ to know.

Cole: Prue, you don't know what you're asking.

(He sits up with his back facing her.)

Prue: Whatever it is, you can't keep running from it. You can't keep pretending that it's not coming between us. You can't keep hiding from the truth.

(Cole turns into Belthazor and attacks Prue. Cole wakes up. One of the Triad members is in his apartment.)

Triad #1: That wasn't so difficult, was it?

Cole: What are you doing here?

Triad #1: Reminding you of your inner nature, Belthazor. One that would be in your best interest to reconnect with... soon.

Cole: I won't let you down.

Triad #1: You _already have_. You vowed to destroy the witches. Instead, you _bedded_ one of them?

Cole: That was a mistake. I-

(The Triad member waves his hand in front of Cole and a dagger appears in his hand.)

Triad #1: Find demonic help if you have to, Belthazor, but you better find a way to _kill_ the witches, _or_ we'll kill you.

(He disappears.)

[Scene: P3. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are sitting in an alcove.]

Prue: Alright, look, we know that Belthazor is not going to stop until he kills us, and if he's as powerful of a demon as Leo says he is, he is probably gonna be immune to our powers. That's why we need to practice our counterattacks, so the next time he shows up, we can get some demon flesh.

Piper: White meat or dark meat?

Prue: I don't like the idea of demon _fillet_ either, but it might help us with the vanquishing potion. (Prue looks around for Cole.) Cole is forty-five minutes late. You would think he would be on time after he _sleeps with a girl_ , you know.

Piper: Can we fast forward? Because I got Fastball coming in in a couple of days and I need to get some stuff done.

Prue: Cole! (She stands up. Cole is walking towards them.) He's here.

Cole: (to himself) I'm sorry, but we have to stop seeing each other, okay. Why? Because-because I gotta kill ya, that's why. _Smooth_.

Prue: Alright, we are practicing the, uh….

(Cole approaches them.)

Cole: Sorry I'm late.

Prue: It's okay. The earthquake drill tomorrow at 3:00.

Piper: I'm sorry, madam president, but I have a doctor's appointment.

Prue: _Piper_ , you never know when an earthquake is going to strike.

Piper: I guess not. I guess I will reschedule then.

Cole: Prue, we, uh, need to talk.

Prue: Uh, Phoebe, earthquake drill, tomorrow at 3?

Phoebe: Okay, but if you need me there by 3:00 you have to lend me your car because I have class right afterwards.

Prue: That's fine, just try not to leave my gas tank on empty this time.

Phoebe: I left your gas tank empty once, okay, get over it, let it go.

Prue: _Twice_. I'm sorry, what-what were you saying?

Cole: Actually, if we could, uh-

Prue: Oh, and Phoebs, I need the car back by 5, because I have a photo shoot at P3 tomorrow.

Piper: P3? Did you forget to inform _the owner_ of P3?

Prue: I'm sorry, but my location fell out at the last moment and I couldn't find you and I thought that you would say yes.

Piper: Of course you did. and did you forget about our home owners meeting that's at our house tomorrow afternoon?

Prue: I totally spaced. Uh, Phoebs, will you cover for me?

Phoebe: No way. In the last one it took them two and a half hours to decide where to put the garden gnomes.

Prue: Um, alright, do you want the car or not?

Phoebe: I hate you.

Prue: No, you don't, you love me.

Piper: _I'd_ love to get back to work. Okay, you two kids behave.

(Piper and Phoebe walk away.)

Prue: Uh, I'm sorry about that. Sister stuff. You know, there's a fine line between love and hate. So what did you wanna talk about?

Cole: Um, actually, I have to go.

Prue: Wh….! Wait, _what_?

Cole: I'm sorry, Prue, it's just this... big case I've been working on, and I think I just had an epiphany on how to win it. (He kisses her.) Forgive me.

Prue: Ugh.

[Cut to outside. Cole walks out.]

Cole: (to his shadow) Tell the Triad I've figured out how to destroy the Charmed Ones.

(His shadow floats down into a drain.)

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. The next morning. Prue is on the phone and Piper is sitting at the table.]

Prue: No, I'm planning on getting to P3 early to confirm the stylist. Alright, I'll see you there. Bye. (She hangs up.) Hey, where's Phoebe?

(Phoebe walks in.)

Phoebe: I'm here.

Prue: Do you guys know if Cole called?

Piper: Not since the last time you asked.

Prue: Okay, I need some sisterly advice. Is he doing the whole blow her off after sex thing and I'm just not reading the signs?

Piper: Probably not, since the signs that you read as an empath prove that he loves you.

Prue: Okay, well, supernatural guarantees aside, I am getting the feeling that he is avoiding me. I have no idea where we stand. (Prue sighs.) But maybe it's got something to do with whatever he's hiding from me.

(Belthazor barges through the door.)

Phoebe: _Demon!_

(Phoebe levitates in the air and kicks him. He falls against the table. Belthazor throws out an energy ball.)

Prue: Piper, watch out. (Piper freezes it. Prue astral projects onto the table behind Belthazor.) Uh, excuse me. (She kicks him in the head. Prue flips off of the table.) Piper, now.

(Piper picks up a knife and slices his neck. Belthazor changes into Leo.)

Leo: _Ouch_ , you got skin!

(Prue astral projects back into her body.)

Phoebe: Hey, Leo, do you think you could make yourself look like Brad Pitt?

Prue: Alright, you guys, that was, um, good. Although, Phoebe, I think you need more force on your kick, and Piper, a little less hesitating on the slicing and dicing, okay. Should we try it again?

Piper: No, I'd like to have a boyfriend left when this is all over.

Phoebe: Okay, where are your keys, Prue?

Prue: Hey, don't forget to pick up food for the homeowners meeting.

Phoebe: Okay, how am I possibly gonna pick up food when I have to get your car back right away?

Prue: Well, I can't do it. I have to prep for my shoot.

(Prue and Phoebe look at Piper.)

Piper: What? Don't look at me. (Silence) I guess I'll reschedule my doctor's appointment, _again_.

Phoebe: You're _cute_.

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Cole and a demon named Andras are there. Cole places a knife in his altar.]

Cole: Have you ever destroyed siblings? Sisters?

Andras: _Sisters_? I pit _nations_ against each other, I start _wars_ , _riots_.

Cole: I've reviewed your resume, Andras. Rather unfocused, actually. My needs are very particular.

Andras: I can _infect_ anybody. Anybody who's _angry_.

Cole: That's your way in? Through anger?

Andras: I see it in my victims. It envelops them. Then I turn that anger into _rage_. Rage that continues, until they commit an act of violence.

Cole: Think you could work your magic on the Charmed Ones?

Andras: You said _sisters_ , not _witches_.

Cole: Ah, but they _are_ sisters, first and foremost, and _that_ , I believe, is their Achilles' heel. Break that bond, and we break the very foundation of their powers. Without their powers, they're defenseless.

Andras: Which sister shall we start with?

Cole: The oldest.

(Andras leaves and Cole calls Prue.)

Prue: Hello?

Cole: Prue, it's me. I got a break in my case, decided to take the afternoon off.

Prue: That must've been quite an epiphany you had last night.

Cole: Yeah, it was. I called to apologize, Prue, for walking out on you so abruptly. That was rude.

Prue: Yeah, it was rude.

Cole: I'd love to make it up to you. I made early dinner reservations at Risso's.

Prue: No, I-I have a photo shoot.

Cole: I was hoping we could talk.

Prue: About what?

Cole: About the other night. You and me, where we stand.

Prue: Um, I would like to. I actually _would really_ like to, and I could reschedule the photo shoot, but I told my sisters that I'd be at the photo shoot tonight, not a date, so...

Cole: That's alright, I understand. It was worth a try.

Prue: Uh, Cole, actually I'm sure they'll understand.

Cole: Yeah? You sure they won't be... angry?

Prue: Oh, they're gonna be furious, but they'll just suppress it and take it out on me later. Um, you pick me up in an hour?

Cole: I'll be there.

(Cole hangs up.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. The home owners meeting is being held there. The neighbours are arguing.]

[Cut to the kitchen. Leo enters as Piper starts to carry the tray of food out.]

Leo: Oh, watch the, uh-

(Piper trips over Prue's tripod, which is lying on the floor under the table. Leo catches her and manages to save the tray of food.)

Piper: (as she falls) Oh! Ohhh... _Prue_! Welcome to Prue's world of cluttered photography. I can't believe I got roped into this.

(He hands her back the tray as they head back to the table.)

Leo: How _did_ you get roped into heading the refreshment committee?

Piper: They didn't have time.

Leo: And _you_ do?

Piper: Well, my doctor's appointment doesn't count as high priority.

Leo: Well, couldn't you make something simpler, you know, chips and dip?

Piper: Leo, I was a chef. I can't make chips and dip.

Leo: _Maybe_ you need to tell your sisters how you feel. Better yet, next time just say no.

Piper: Okay, Leo, you obviously do not have sisters. One minute you're arguing about _something_ , and then suddenly you're arguing about who stole who's _Malibu Barbie_ in 1979.

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Hey, is Phoebe home yet?

Piper: No, and where-where's all the mineral water?

Prue: Uh, there's some down in the basement.

Leo: I'll get it.

(Leo goes in the basement. Piper carries a plate of food into the living room.)

Neighbour #1: It's our property, it's our money, and we are building a fence.

Piper: Goat cheese pizza and onion tartlets for the vegetarians….

Neighbour #2: We want our privacy because we've had enough of your _snooping_.

Neighbour #3: _Snooping?_

Piper: And the-the chicken satay has peanuts in case anybody's allergic. (Phoebe gets home.) Phoebe, nice of you to show.

(Prue comes in.)

Prue: Uh, guys? (They walk over to each other.) I need a _huge_ favour. Can I talk to you both

upstairs?

(The neighbours start arguing. Piper freezes the neighbours. Prue starts to go upstairs.)

Piper/Phoebe: Prue.

Prue: I know I'm supposed to be going to my photoshoot tonight, but I rescheduled it for tomorrow night. I still have to go out tonight though, with Cole.

Phoebe: So I _still_ have to do the homeowners meeting?

Piper: Prue, this isn't fair.

Prue: I know, but the last thing I expected was for Cole to ask me out, okay. So could you both please cover for me?

Piper: I-I already rescheduled my doctor's appointment _twice_.

Prue: Well, _Leo_ was a doctor before he died.

Piper: That's really not the point.

Prue: I know, and I would never ask, but this is important. He wants to have the talk. You know, are we a couple, are we a one-nighter, are we friends, are we friends that had a one-nighter?

Piper: Okay, I get it.

(Leo walks in.)

Leo: Ever planning on unfreezing the neighbours?

Prue: Guys, just this once. You know how much I want this relationship to work.

Piper: Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice. (Phoebe grudgingly nods. Prue hugs them both and runs upstairs.) You are so helping us run this meeting.

(The Elders call Leo.)

Leo: They're calling.

Piper: Uh, no, no, no. (Leo orbs out.) Leo. (He drops the bottle he was holding and Piper catches it.) _Chicken!_

(Piper unfreezes the neighbours.)

[Cut to outside. Cole drives up in his car. He closes his eyes.]

Cole: Andras. (Andras appears in the passenger seat. Cole opens his eyes.) If Prue's right, Piper and Phoebe will be primed and ready for you.

Andras: I thought we were starting with Prue.

Cole: We did. _I_ did. She's the reason the others are angry. You just make sure you capitalize on that.

Andras: Don't you need to enrage _all three_ of the sisters for your plan to work?

Cole: You infect Piper and Phoebe, I'll bring Prue back home. They'll blame her for everything.

Andras: Your legend is well deserved, Belthazor. You know, for someone about to score one of the biggest victories in centuries, you don't seem very happy about it.

Cole: Just do your job.

(Andras leaves.)

[Cut back to inside.]

Neighbour #4: Your fence will block the sun from my flowers.

Neighbour #1: Well, then I suggest you take it up with the sun.

Neighbour #4: Oh, great, great idea.

Phoebe: Okay, uh, why don't you build a shorter fence? Or move your flower bed?

Neighbour #4: No, it is not my azaleas that are the problem.

(The neighbours continue arguing. The doorbell rings.)

Piper: Okay, everyone _please_ just try to _calm down_.

(Prue runs past the living room.)

Prue: Bye.

Phoebe: Prue, Prue, Prue!

Piper: Those are my earrings! (Prue leaves.) Hey! (Andras is standing outside looking in. Balls of light come out of his hands and hit Piper and Phoebe.) Okay, everybody _shut up_! (Everyone shuts up.) I have _had_ it with your _petty_ problems, and your _stupid_ fence, and your stupid flower beds. There are _bigger_ problems in the world to worry about. Just get a life and _grow up_!

Neighbour #3: Ugh, you can't speak to us like that.

Piper: Oh yeah? (She throws a plate of food at them.) Everybody get out of my house! Get out of my house before I throw you out!

Neighbour #4: With pleasure.

Neighbour #3: Perhaps we should build a fence to keep _you_ in.

Piper: _Good idea_.

Neighbour #3: I'll speak to your sister about the way you behave.

Piper: _Even better idea!_ Move it! Move it! Move it! (Everyone leaves.) And _stay out_!

Commercial Break

[Scene: Risso's. People are dancing. Cole and Prue are sitting at a table. They are laughing.]

Cole: Wait, you actually wore a penguin costume?

Prue: Yes, and I handed out balloons to kids. I was fifteen, leave me alone. I needed a job.

Cole: I bet you were cute.

Prue: I had to do this walk.

Cole: Uh, no.

(Prue gets up and walks like a penguin. They laugh harder. She sits back down and they stop laughing.)

Cole: You've come a long way, haven't you?

Prue: Yeah, yeah, I think I have. And of course I'm still living with my two sisters, you know. Eventually I'd like to work past that.

Cole: You don't like living with your sisters?

Prue: Uh, it's more out of necessity. But enough about me. Tell me about you. Am I the only one with a past here?

Cole: Mine's not very interesting.

Prue: More secrets.

Cole: I don't like to talk about my past much, or my... family. I lost them a long time ago.

Prue: Oh, I'm sorry. I know how that feels. My mother died when I was really little and my father left not too long afterwards. So we were raised by our grandmother, and she's not with us anymore.

Cole: But you still have your sisters.

Prue: Yeah. And I thank god for them everyday. I don't know what I would do if I lost them. Are you okay?

Cole: Prue, there's something I have to tell you. (pause) I'm a terrible dancer.

Prue: You're a terrible dancer? Something tells me that's... not what you were gonna say. (A slow song comes on.) Come on. (She stands up.)

Cole: No, no, really, I-

Prue: Okay, look, if we're not gonna talk about us, and we're not gonna talk about you, we're gonna dance.

Cole: I can't.

(He stands up.)

Prue: You can. Why would you bring me here if you're not gonna dance?

(They walk onto the dance floor and slow dance.)

[Scene: Manor. Cole and Prue drive up outside. Prue sits facing Cole.]

Prue: I had a great time tonight.

Cole: Better than being at the homeowners meeting?

Prue: Mmm, a little. Okay, you're married.

Cole: What?

Prue: That's the big secret. You're married. You have three kids, and two dogs, and a really cute cat, right? And I'm your seven-year itch?

Cole: You found me out.

Prue: Can't get anything past me.

Cole: No, I guess not.

Prue: Uh, about the other night. Are you sorry that we, uh….?

Cole: Not at all. Are you?

Prue: Depends on what happens next. (They kiss. Andras is nearby watching. Cole opens his eyes and sees him. They pull apart.) Are you sure you don't wanna come in?

Cole: I've gotta get back to the case, you know. (She kisses him once more and starts to get out of the car.) Prue...

Prue: Yeah?

Cole: Goodbye.

Prue: Goodnight.

(She gets out of the car and walks up the stairs. He drives away.)

[Cut to inside. Kitchen. Prue comes in. She is on the phone.]

Prue: I'm sorry I had to reschedule. (Piper walks in and slams down a plate of food on the table. To Piper) Keep it down, will you? (in the phone) Alright, one more chance is all that I'm asking for. (to Piper) Where's Phoebe?

(Piper ignores her.)

Prue: (in the phone) No, tomorrow at P3 will not be a problem. Okay.

(Piper takes the phone off of Prue.)

Piper: (into the phone) Actually, excuse me. Hi, actually, you know what? It is.

(She hangs up.)

Prue: Okay, alright, do you have any idea who that was?

Piper: Hmm. I couldn't care less.

Prue: _What_ is your problem?

Piper: You are. Get your own damn club and keep your _paws off_ of mine.

Prue: Okay, whoa, obviously _somebody_ needs a Midol.

Piper: And I am so sick of all of your stuff lying around. If you can't put your equipment away, then I will.

(She throws one of Prue's camera lens on the floor. Andras is watching from outside. Another ball of light shoots out of his hand and hits Prue.)

Prue: Ooh, ooh! (Prue looks around and picks up the blender.) Who the hell do you think you are?!

(She throws the blender on the floor.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Piper walk into the living room. They are still fighting.]

Piper: 'Sure, you can use P3 for a photo shoot.' Hello? Remember me?

(Phoebe comes downstairs. She is angry as well.)

Prue: Oh, poor Piper. Well, you know what? The martyr routine's getting old.

Phoebe: Prue-!

Prue: _Shut up!_ You know what? I am so sorry that I didn't check with you about your stupid little club! I was too busy being the only witch around here concerned about the Triad!

Piper: Oh, right, without the _mighty_ Prue Halliwell, we'd all be dead. Get over yourself, Prue!

Phoebe: Yeah, so while you get to spend the night _screwing_ the DA, we're stuck picking up your slack!

Prue: What's the matter, Phoebe? _Jealous_? All work and no play making you even _more boring_?

Piper: Yeah, Grams said that you'd never amount to anything.

Phoebe: I am so sick of the fact that I've been saddled with the two of you my entire life!

Piper: Well, at least I'm not so _stupid_ that I had to do college twice.

Phoebe: Well, at least I actually had the courage to go away to college. What's the matter, Piper? The real world too much for you? I am so _sick_ of the two of you ganging up on me and judging me!

Prue: I am so sick of saving your asses!

Piper: I'm sick of being taken for granted! And those are _mine_!

(Piper rips off Prue's earrings.)

Prue: _Ouch! Bitch!_

(Prue high kicks Piper, but Piper ducks. Piper pushes Prue into Phoebe and Phoebe pushes her against a chair. Phoebe throws a piece of Prue's camera equipment at Prue and she deflects it with her power. It flies back towards Phoebe, but Phoebe levitates and it passes under her legs towards Piper, who freezes it. The camera piece unfreezes, hits a photo frame, and it falls off of the wall. Prue leaves.)

[Cut to the attic. The triquetra on the Book of Shadows splits apart.]

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Phoebe is cleaning up some broken glass. Piper bends down beside her.]

Piper: Here.

Phoebe: It's alright.

Piper: I'll get it.

Phoebe: Thanks.

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: What's wrong?

Leo: You tell me.

Piper: Well, we had a little…

Phoebe: Tiff.

Leo: Must've been more than little, because _they_ felt it.

Piper: What do you mean 'they felt it'?

Leo: Whatever happened severed the power of three.

Piper: Leo, that's impossible.

(Leo picks up a glass bowl.)

Leo: Freeze this.

(He drops it, Piper tries to freeze it, and it smashes on the floor.)

Piper: Uh, what happened to our powers?

Leo: That's what we have to figure out. Let's start with your little tiff.

Piper: Well, that's a bit of an understatement. It was... big.

Leo: How big?

Phoebe: Um, do you remember Pearl Harbor?

Leo: Okay, so what triggered it?

Piper: I-I don't know. Just... little things, I guess.

Leo: That's it?

Phoebe: Yeah, I mean, it's weird. We were angry, but we shouldn't have been _that_ angry. It was almost like something….

Piper: Something sort of came over us.

Phoebe: Yeah, something like Belthazor.

Leo: That doesn't track, because no matter what he does, he doesn't have the power to take away yours. So back to your argument. You yelled and you... threw stuff?

Piper: Well, we did a little more than that.

Phoebe: We used our powers.

Leo: What, on each other? Alright, well, then that's what happened. Your powers are rooted in your bond as sisters. Using them against each other must have severed that bond. Alright, you-you-you need to repair the damage to your relationship fast, because without your powers, you are extremely vulnerable. So you need to get Prue-

Phoebe: Prue's gone.

Leo: Gone? Gone where?

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Belthazor is standing in front of his altar chanting. There is a knock at the door. Belthazor closes the door to his altar.]

Prue: Cole? Cole?

(Belthazor walks over to the door and grabs onto the handle. He starts to open the door.)

[Cut to the hallway. The door opens and Belthazor has changed back into Cole.]

Prue: Hi.

Cole: Prue, what are you doing here?

Prue: Uh, I don't-I don't know. I was just walking around and…. I'm sorry, I know it's really late. Can I come in?

Cole: Yeah, sure.

(Prue walks in and Cole closes the door.)

Prue: I had nowhere else to go.

(She starts to cry.)

Cole: It's okay. (He hugs her.) I'm glad you came here. What happened?

Prue: After-after you dropped me off, my sisters and I got into a-a huge fight. It was _horrible_.

Cole: You're safe here.

[Cut to the manor. Attic. Piper and Phoebe are scrying for Prue. Leo is looking through the Book of Shadows.]

Piper: Nothing. I-I can't find her. We don't even have _basic_ powers anymore.

Phoebe: I cannot believe this is happening.

Piper: What I don't understand is how could Belthazor make us that angry? That's not his power.

Leo: No, it's not, but it is his.

(Piper and Phoebe look at the Book.)

Piper: 'Andras, the spirit of rage. Uses anger as a portal to enrage his victims until they commit a grievous act of violence.'

Phoebe: Yeah, but that doesn't really explain everything. I mean, even if our fight was supernaturally amped, Andras magnifies anger into rage, he doesn't just create it out of thin air.

Piper: So we gave him the opening.

Leo: And he took full advantage.

[Cut back to Cole's apartment.]

Prue: I was just so angry, and I said such horrible things to them, and I-I-I didn't even really mean any of it. (Cole touches her shoulder. She turns around and hugs him.) I'm sorry.

Cole: Please. Let me get you a tissue. Here.

(He sits her on the couch with her back to the altar. He walks over to his altar.)

Prue: The things that were said? I don't even know where they were coming from. (Cole opens the door of his altar.) I mean, I guess it was issues, you know, (he reaches in his altar and pulls out a dagger) that were underlying, that were never really dealt with, and then, all of a sudden, it just exploded.

Cole: Nothing ever happened like that before?

(He closes the altar door.)

Prue: Uh, no, not like that. I mean, we used to fight all the time when we were little, you know. (Cole starts walking towards her holding the knife.) But since we moved in together, we just, we got really close, you know. (Cole pokes the knife in between his belt and sits down beside her.) We have been through so much together. (She touches his face.) Thank you, for listening to me. And thank you for being there for me.

(They kiss. Cole reaches down and pulls the knife out of his belt. He raises it to get ready to stab her, but changes his mind and hides it between the couch cushions. They pull apart.)

Cole: I can't. I can't.

Prue: What do you mean?

(He stands up.)

Cole: Prue, you need to go home. Now.

(Prue stands up, hurt.)

Prue: What? Why?

Cole: Because you're... vulnerable... right now. I don't…. We shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened.

(She smiles a little.)

Prue: You're right. I do. (They walk to the door.) Thank you.

(They kiss. Andras appears.)

Cole: You're welcome.

(She leaves.)

Andras: So the rumours are true. You've _fallen_ for a _witch_.

Cole: What are you doing here? Get out!

Andras: The great Belthazor. Who would've ever thought? (Cole gets the knife out from between the couch cushions.) I can hardly wait to see what the Triad will do when I tell them you failed.

Cole: I will kill you before you ever get the chance.

Andras: Yeah? Then you really are a traitor, aren't you? (Cole changes into Belthazor.) _Pissed off_ , are you? Good. 'Cause there's something you don't know about me. I can _possess_ my victims too. (Andras goes inside of Belthazor. Belthazor roars. He looks into the mirror.) Now, let's go finish what we started, shall we?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Phoebe's on the phone.]

Phoebe: If you hear from her, just tell her to come home, okay, it's an emergency. Thanks. (She hangs up.) So she's not at the club and none of her friends have seen her.

Piper: Did you try Cole?

Phoebe: No answer.

Piper: If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself.

Leo: Nothing's gonna happen.

Piper: Leo, something happened to Grams, something happened to mom…. It kind of runs in the family.

(Prue walks in.)

Phoebe: Prue, thank god.

(Piper hugs Prue.)

Piper: Are you okay?

Prue: Yeah.

Piper: Where were you?

Prue: I was at Cole's. And after a lot of talking, and a lot of tears, he convinced me to come home and deal with what happened.

Phoebe: Belthazor is what happened.

Prue: What?

Piper: Abbreviated version, he used some _underling_ spirit to enrage us, and when we fought, we lost our powers. No more triquetra, no more power of three.

Prue: What? (She tried to move something.) We have no powers? But that means that he's gonna come and try to kill us.

Phoebe: Which, when you didn't come home, we thought that he had already….

Prue: No, it's okay, I'm fine. So what do we do? A spell, a vanquish, a potion?

Leo: You need to try and restore your bond as sisters. I'll give you some privacy.

(He leaves.)

Prue: A potion would be easier, huh?

Piper: Oh, yeah. Uh, Phoebe, Grams didn't say you'd never amount to anything. That was just me being mean. She was - _is_ \- very proud of you.

Phoebe: We all know that sometimes I'm not the most responsible person in the world.

Prue: No, Phoebe, that's all kind of ancient history now, isn't it? I mean, you've grown up a lot, and I'm sorry if I don't treat you like you have all the time.

Phoebe: It's okay. Since mom died….

Piper: You _did_ take care of us, and you do still look out for us all the time, and we don't always say thank you. Sometimes we take you for granted.

Prue: I don't think I'm the one who's been taken for granted around here. You know, who needs Oprah when we can do it ourselves?

(They giggle.)

Phoebe: Do you think we have our powers back?

(Belthazor bursts through the door.)

Prue: Oh! (She tries to use her power.) Alright, no, you try.

(Piper tries to freeze him.)

Piper: No, mine aren't working either.

Phoebe: _We worked on our issues!_

(Leo runs up behind Andras and slams a chair over his back. Belthazor hits him in the face.)

Piper: _Leo!_

Prue: No, Piper, wait. You guys run, I'll hold him off.

Phoebe: No, Prue, we're in this together. (The triquetra on the Book of Shadows joins back up.) Look, the Book.

(Prue uses her power and knocks the knife out of Belthazor's hand. Belthazor throws an energy ball at them and Prue uses her power to deflect it. It flies back, hits Belthazor, and Andras gets knocked out of him.)

Prue: Okay, that's new.

Phoebe: Demon with demon filling.

Belthazor: (to Andras) Nobody crosses me.

(He throws an energy ball at Andras and he is vanquished. Belthazor picks up the knife.)

Prue: Okay, positions.

(He walks towards Phoebe and she kicks him in the face.)

Prue: Uh, Piper?

(Piper freezes the knife he throws at her.)

Piper: Whoa.

(Prue astral projects behind him and kicks him in the back.)

Prue: Piper, the knife.

(Piper plucks the knife out of the air and slices Belthazor. A chunk of skin falls to the ground. Belthazor roars. He grabs Piper's arm, twists it and hits her in the face. She falls to the floor. Prue astral projects back into her body. She uses her power and Belthazor crashes through the window. He changes back into Cole. He disappears. Prue and Phoebe run over to the window.)

Phoebe: He's gone.

Prue: At least for now.

(Leo helps Piper up.)

Piper: Ow. Are you okay?

Leo: Yeah. Good thing I'm already dead. Did you get him?

Piper: Ooh, yeah. (She picks up the skin.) I got a slice.

Prue: Mmm, yum, the other white meat.

Leo: Better him than me.

Phoebe: Well, at least now we can work on the vanquishing spell.

Prue: Well, we better hurry before Belthazor's encore.

[Scene: P3. Fastball is playing there. Prue walks up to Piper and Phoebe who are sitting in the alcove. She sits down.]

Phoebe: Hey, how did the photo shoot go?

Prue: Not as good as if it had been done here, but definitely better for our relationship.

Piper: Well, next time just give me some warning and I'll be happy to accommodate you.

Prue: Oh, I promise. By the way, how was your doctor's appointment?

Piper: It was fine. Everything was normal except my stress level.

Phoebe: Oh, I don't mean to stress you out even more, but I ran into Ellen and Claire, and they said they worked everything out with Mrs. Snyder.

Prue: Maybe you two should handle all the meetings.

Piper/Phoebe: No. Absolutely not.

Prue: Wow, you're getting good at saying no.

Piper: Thank you.

Phoebe: Anyway, I think it's good that we got everything out on the table. And for the sake of innocents everywhere, I think we should always tell each other how we feel.

Piper: Well, not always. We might kill each other.

Phoebe: Okay, then most of the time. Just enough to keep demons away from splitting us up.

Prue: I agree with that.

(Prue looks around for Cole.)

Phoebe: Haven't heard from Cole yet, huh?

Prue: No. I still can't figure that guy out. But I will.

[Scene: Triad. Cole appears.]

Triad #1: I warned you, Belthazor. I warned you what would what happen if you failed us.

Triad #2: He's done more than fail us. He's betrayed us. You've betrayed the Source.

Triad #1: You showed sympathy to the witches.

Triad #3: And squandered a _golden_ opportunity. (A rotating ball of fire appears in Triad #3's hand.) You are allowed _one_ final statement.

Cole: I've got nothing to say. Except….

(Cole pulls out a knife and throws it at Triad #3. Triad #2 throws a fireball at Cole, but Cole disappears and it misses. He reappears behind Triad #1 and breaks his neck. He throws an energy ball at Triad #2 and he is engulfed in flames. Cole stands there and yells at the top of his lungs.)


	8. Sleuthing with the Enemy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

 **Sleuthing with the Enemy**

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper and Phoebe are making a potion in a pot. There are ingredients everywhere. Piper puts something in the pot and a flame shoots up.]

Piper: Ugh! (flame shoots up) Okay, even _if_ this works, we still have to _find_ Belthazor.

Phoebe: Well, I have an idea how to do that, but first things first. Cockles.

Piper: _Cockles?_

Phoebe: They're over by the crickets.

Piper: And what exactly are they?

Phoebe: Uh, small leaping insects that chirp?

Piper: That's funny. I meant the cockle shells, not the crickets.

Phoebe: You know, I'm not really sure, but so long as they help vanquish Belthazor, that's all I really care about.

Piper: It would be nice to get back to our lives, such as they were.

Phoebe: Pigs' feet.

Piper: _Yecchh._

Phoebe: _Yecchh?_

Piper: Yecchh.

Phoebe: So you can slice off a chunk of demon flesh, but you can't touch pigs' foot?

Piper: I'm a vegetarian.

Phoebe: _Since when?_

Piper: Since now.

Phoebe: Now is not the time to get squeamish, okay. This recipe is very important. We have to follow it to a T. (Phoebe puts a pigs foot in the pot and another flame shoots up.) Ooh!

Piper: Poor piggy.

Phoebe: Uh, everything's in there, we just need to get the slice of Belthazor flesh and we're good to go. Let's test it. Prue?!

Piper: Something tells me she's not in a vanquishing mood.

Phoebe: Why not?

Piper: She's worried about Cole. She hasn't heard from him in over a week. (Prue walks in.) Okay, uh, what do you say we do this incantation?

Prue: Anything to get rid of Belthazor before Cole gets back. And he is coming back.

Piper: Okay.

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Spirits of air, forests and sea/Set us of this demon free/Beasts of hoof and beasts of shell/Drive this evil back to hell."

(The potion bubbles.)

Prue: Uh-oh, didn't work.

Phoebe: No, you forgot the Belthazor flesh.

Piper: Oh yes.

Prue: How can we forget the Belthazor flesh? (Piper gets the flesh out of the fridge.) Such a slacker.

Piper: Give me a second, lady. All right, ready?

(She puts the flesh in the pot and it explodes. Piper falls to the ground.)

Prue/Phoebe: _Piper!_

(They help her up.)

Prue: Are you all right?

Piper: Attack of the killer pigs' feet. Remind me to _step back_ next time.

[Scene: Cemetery. People are there attending a funeral.]

[Cut to a grave. Belthazor falls to the ground and leans against a headstone. He is hurt. He gets up and stumbles over to a mausoleum. He leaves a spot of blood on the headstone.]

[Cut back to the grave. A demon (Krell) appears and wipes the blood off of the headstone. He smells it and looks around. He sees the door of the mausoleum close.]

[Cut inside the mausoleum. Belthazor is hiding in there. Krell walks in.]

Krell: You know what I am, Belthazor. You know you can't escape from _me_ , now that you can't shimmer anymore. You should be pleased. The bounty on you was determined by the Source himself, a reflection no doubt of your triumphs _and_ your betrayal. You're wounded, powerless; think of your legacy, Belthazor. Die as a legend, not a _coward_.

(Belthazor runs towards the door. Krell sees him and tries to zap him. Belthazor throws an energy ball at a column and it falls on top of Krell. Belthazor runs outside. He changes back into Cole, then back to Belthazor, then back into Cole. Cole walks over to the people who attended the funeral. Krell walks out of the mausoleum.)

Cole: (to a woman) Mind if I hitch a ride?

Woman: Are you going to the wake?

Cole: Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Woman: Come on.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe comes down the stairs. Prue walks into the foyer.]

Phoebe: Hey.

Prue: I'll be back.

Phoebe: Where are you going?

Prue: I am going to work, (they go into the living room) and then I'm going to Cole's.

(Prue packs up her stuff for work.)

Phoebe: Okay, aren't you, of all people, forgetting about something? Like vanquishing Belthazor?

Prue: Wait, I thought that you were going to write a spell to summon him first.

Phoebe: Yes, and it's done. I'm using the one that we called Melinda from the past with, just re-wrote it a little bit.

Prue: Really? Think it'll work?

Phoebe: Well, yeah, I mean, it _should_. It's magic calling magic. Although, in this case, dark magic. Prue, why are you going to Cole's again? I mean, what do you really expect to find?

Prue: Mmm, actually, I was gonna go to his office.

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: Okay, are we gonna do this or what?

Phoebe: Uh, we are, Prue's not.

Prue: Are you sure?

Phoebe: Yeah. Yeah. Go to Cole's. It's fine. Uh, we don't need the power of three to vanquish him, just the potion.

Piper: Okay, well, why don't you take this in case?

(She hands Prue the potion.)

Prue: Okay, just be careful.

(She leaves.)

[Scene: An alley. Cole is there. He has his hand pressed against his wound. He leans against the wall and takes off his coat. He unbuttons his shirt and pulls a rag off of his wound. He takes off his shirt and tries to rip it apart. He can't, so he changes into Belthazor and rips the shirt up. He holds part of the shirt against his wound. A homeless man walks around the corner and Belthazor runs away. The homeless man walks over to where Cole dropped his coat and picks it up.]

[Scene: Manor. Dining room. Piper and Phoebe are there. They tip the dining table onto its side.]

Piper: This is gonna be messy.

Phoebe: That's why we Scotchguard. (Phoebe hands Piper the potion.) You ready?

Piper: As ready as I'll ever be.

Phoebe: All right.

(They crouch down behind the table.)

Prue/Piper: "Magic forces black and white/Reaching out through space and light/Be he far, or be he near/Bring us the demon Belthazor here."

(It gets windy.)

Piper: It's working.

Phoebe: All right, you ready?

Piper: Uh-huh.

Phoebe: On three.

Prue/Piper: 1, 2, 3.

(Krell appears and they throw the potions at him.)

Piper: There's no boom. Why is there no boom?

Phoebe: I don't know.

Krell: Stupid witches.

Piper: He's not- (He tries to zap them and puts a huge hole in the table.) Ooh, you know what? That is an antique!

(Piper uses her power and freezes him. Phoebe runs over, levitates, and kicks him, and he flies towards the grandfather clock. Piper freezes him again, this time in mid-air.)

Piper: Not the clock! We can't afford to keep _fixing_ that thing. (They walk over to him.) Unless Belthazor can morph, that is definitely not him.

Phoebe: All right, that doesn't make sense. How did we get the wrong demon? Hey, do you think that you could just unfreeze his head, that way we could ask?

Piper: His _head_?

Phoebe: Yeah, his head.

Piper: Why not? (Piper unfreezes his head.) That's different.

Phoebe: That's cool.

(They giggle.)

Krell: What did you _do_ to me?

Phoebe: Uh, hi, you know what? You're sort of frozen in mid-air, therefore we'll be asking the questions, okay? Who are you?

Krell: Someone who's going to _butcher_ you if you don't _unfreeze me right now_.

Piper: Okay. (Piper unfreezes him and he crashes into the grandfather clock. Phoebe gives her a look.) _What_? It was worth it.

(They go over to him and Phoebe puts her foot on his chest.)

Phoebe: All right, you start talking, or we start the bonus round.

Krell: I am Krell, a Zotar.

Phoebe: Hi, I'm Phoebe, a Scorpio. Where's Belthazor?

(He pushes Phoebe's leg off of his chest and Piper and Phoebe back away. Krell stands up. Piper starts to freeze him again while Phoebe gets into a karate stance.)

Krell: _Wait_ , don't. I won't attack if you don't. I'm a bounty hunter. I track fugitive demons, and it looks like we're after the same one.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Outside Cole's office. Prue walks up to the door, looks around, and then walks inside. She sees someone sitting in Cole's chair facing the wall.]

Prue: Cole? (The chair spins around and a man is sitting in it.) Oh, I'm so sorry, I was just looking for Cole Turner.

Man: That's all right, so am I. (He gets out of the chair and walks over to Prue.) Reese Davidson. DA Bureau of Investigations. (He shows her his badge.) And you are?

Prue: Prue.

Reese: Prue? Is that like Cher, or Madonna, or do you have a last name?

Prue: No, of-of course. Uh, Halliwell. Prue… _Prudence_ Halliwell. Is Cole okay?

Reese: And how do _you_ know _him_?

Prue: You didn't answer my question.

Reese: I know. Look, I have no idea if he's all right or not. _That's_ what I'm trying to figure out. Nobody's heard from him since Monday. Are you his girl?

Prue: Yeah, I'm his girl.

Reese: Well, did he mention anything to you about what he was doing? _Where_ he was going?

Prue: No.

Reese: Hmm…. (He picks up a folder.) Well, according to his filing he hasn't even been working on a case, big or small. Not for a couple of months anyway. All he's done is file extensions. Makes you wonder what he's been doing with himself. Well, if you happen to hear from him, or if you think of anything that might help, (he hands her his card) call me okay. Okay?

Prue: Yeah.

(She leaves.)

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Prue, Piper, and Krell are there.]

Krell: I should've known better than to underestimate him. I thought that because Belthazor couldn't shimmer, his other powers were useless as well.

Piper: So you _don't_ have the power to vanquish him?

Krell: Obviously not. Otherwise I wouldn't have needed to intercept your little _calling card_ , now would I?

Piper: Hey, you know what? How about next time I just freeze your head and then maybe I could kick you in the-

Phoebe: _Alright_ , uh, so Belthazor was sent by the Triad to kill us. How do we know that you weren't sent by them too?

Krell: You're _joking_ , right? I don't believe this. You really don't know? Your Whitelighter must really be sleeping on the job.

Piper: Hey, now _wait a minute_ , pal.

Phoebe: Piper. What don't we know?

Krell: Belthazor _killed_ the Triad. _That's_ why he's on the run, that's why I'm here.

Phoebe: Why would he do that?

Krell: Probably because _they_ were going to kill him. For _failing_ to kill you. Ironically his inability to shimmer saved him from you killing him.

Phoebe: So instead we got you.

Krell: Believe me, just the _thought_ of working with you _turns_ my stomachs.

Piper: _Stomachs?_

Krell: But right now I'm more interested in killing Belthazor than witches.

Piper: Hm.

Krell: Like it or not, we _need_ each other. You can't find him without me, I can't vanquish him without your potion.

Phoebe: So then you know where he is?

Piper: Phoebe, you can't be seriously considering this.

Phoebe: Answer the question.

Krell: I can track his scent, his blood, when he's in his demonic form, not his human one. Fortunately, he can't _maintain_ his human self for long, especially wounded. It drains him.

Piper: Uh, hi, could you come here, over here, please? (Phoebe goes over to Piper.) We've _tried_ working with demons before. It was a bad idea then, and it's definitely a bad idea _now_.

Phoebe: (to Krell) We'll let you know.

Krell: No, you'll let me know now! (silence) Think fast. Belthazor won't stop trying to kill you. Only the heads of the Charmed Ones will convince the Source to spare him.

(He glistens away.)

Piper/Phoebe: _Leo!_

[Scene: Outside Cole's apartment. Prue knocks on the door.]

Prue: Cole?! Cole, are you in there?! ( A neighbour pokes her head out of her apartment.) Oh, sorry. (The neighbour goes back inside. Prue sees drops of blood on the carpet leading to Cole's apartment. She opens his door.) Cole? Hello?

(She walks inside. She sees more drops of blood leading into his bedroom.)

[Cut inside the bedroom. Belthazor is there standing behind the door.]

[Cut back to Prue.]

Prue: Cole? (She walks into the bedroom and sees Cole putting on a shirt. She gets a fright. She sees his wound.) Cole.

Cole: You really shouldn't be here.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cole's apartment. His bedroom.]

Prue: Okay, Cole. Come on, lay down. (He lays down on the bed.) Lay down. Easy. Are you okay?

Cole: Do I look okay?

Prue: I'm sorry. Okay, let's see how bad this is.

Cole: No, no, don't.

Prue: Believe me, I've seen worse, Cole.

(She goes to take off the bandage but he grabs her wrist.)

Cole: I said don't. Please?

Prue: We've got to get you to the hospital.

Cole: It's not safe there, they'll find me.

Prue: Who will find you? What's going on? Who's after you? There was somebody looking for you today at your office. An investigator.

(He sits up.)

Cole: You didn't tell him anything, did you?

Prue: I don't _know_ anything.

Cole: What did he look like? You sure he wasn't a d... A?

Prue: He said that he was. And he also said that he needed to- (Cole groans.) Okay, come on, back down, back down. (He lays back down.) I'm gonna go get some help, okay. (whispers) Leo.

Cole: Prue, come on.

Prue: Cole, I am not just gonna sit back and watch you die, okay! (whispers) Leo. (to Cole) Um, I am gonna go back to the house, okay, and I'm gonna get Leo. He's a doctor. He can heal you.

Cole: Okay.

Prue: Are you sure it's safe for you here?

Cole: They've already looked for me here, they won't be back. Not for a while anyway.

(She kisses him.)

Prue: You better be here when I get back.

(She leaves. Cole changes into Belthazar and then back to himself again.)

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are there.]

Piper: I don't understand. How can you _not know_ the Triad is dead? Don't you think that's kind of important? Especially since, oh, I don't know, they've been trying to _kill us_ for the past two years.

Leo: We've heard _rumours_ , _talk_ , _nothing_ substantiated.

Piper: Well, I guess you can _substantiate it_ now, can't you? Geez, have you been sleeping on the job or what?

Phoebe: So, Leo, don't mind her, she's just a little cranky.

Piper: Well, you know what? I get that way when demons are trying to kill us.

Phoebe: Piper, I really don't think that Krell is trying to kill us, otherwise he probably would've _tried_ by now.

Piper: Oh, yeah? Tell that to the dining room table.

Leo: Is there anything in there on Zotars?

Phoebe: Yeah, everything that he said about them, which makes me think that everything else he has said might be true too.

Piper: Including the part about how he likes to kill witches?

Phoebe: Including the part about all of us working together.

Piper: Are you willing to bet our lives on it?

Phoebe: Are you willing _not to_? Look, Piper, if we do nothing and Belthazor somehow gets all of his powers back, then we are going to be looking back over our shoulders. _Again_. Personally I'm tired of that.

Piper: I know, I _know_ , okay. I-I know you think she's right and-

Leo: If you don't vanquish him now you may not get another chance.

[Time Lapse. Piper and Phoebe are in the conservatory saying a spell.]

Piper/Phoebe: "Magic forces, black and white/Reaching out through space and light/Be he far, or be he near, bring us the demon Belthazor here."

(Krell appears in the foyer. Prue walks in the house and sees him.)

Prue: _Demon!_

Piper: Prue, no, no, no, Prue!

(She uses her power on him.)

Prue: (She runs over to her sisters.) What-what is going on? Who is that?

(Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk into the foyer.)

Phoebe: He is a demonic bounty hunter who is here to help us find Belthazor.

Piper: Why don't you go sniff something while we fill her in?

Krell: There's no time. (He stands up.) I just picked up Belthazor's scent again.

Phoebe: _Alright_ , gives us a minute. (to Prue) Come here. All right, listen, here's the deal. Belthazor killed the Triad, now the Source wants him dead. Krell is trying to _suck up_ to the Source so he wants to kill Belthazor.

Piper: Belthazor wants to kill us so the Source won't kill him.

Leo: And if you work with Krell you can vanquish Belthazor before he kills you.

Prue: Works for me. Leo, I have to talk to you for a minute.

Krell: How do you witches ever get anything done?! If we're working together, we need to move _now_.

Phoebe: _Alright_ , we're ready.

Krell: Do you have the potion?

Piper: Do you have the scent?

Krell: I said I did, didn't I? You two come with me. The others should go to the old cemetery.

Leo: Wait, split up? Why?

Krell: Because he might be hiding there, that's why. Evil frequents cemeteries. Makes it difficult for me to track a demon's scent there. Belthazor knows that.

Prue: Okay, so why don't Leo and I go to the cemetery and you guys go with him?

Piper: Are you sure?

Prue: Positive.

Phoebe: Alright, let's go, we're ready. Oh, hey, I almost forgot to ask. Did you find out anything about Cole?

Prue: Uh, no, nothing at all about Cole. (Piper and Phoebe leave.) We need to go.

[Scene: Outside Cole's apartment. Prue and Leo are walking down the hallway.]

Leo: Prue, we shouldn't even be here. Belthazor-

Prue: _Can wait_. Cole can't. Leo, he will _die_ without your help.

Leo: Then he should be in a hospital.

Prue: _He won't go._

Leo: Prue, I _cannot_ heal mortals, you know that! Not unless they were hurt by evil. It's against the rules.

Prue: So _break_ the rules! You've done it before. I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I just…. I can't let him die, Leo.

Leo: You shouldn't be asking me to do this.

Prue: I know, but I am. (They go inside. Cole is sitting on the floor.) Cole! (She runs over to him.) Cole. Come here. (She lays him on the floor. Leo kneels down beside him and takes off the bandage. He starts to heal him and sparks come out of his hands.) Leo, what's the matter?

Leo: Something's not right.

(Leo flies back into a chair.)

Prue: Leo, are you okay?

Leo: Yeah, I think so.

Prue: Cole.

Cole: Prue.

Prue: It's okay. You're okay now.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Prue walks into Cole's room carrying a glass of water.]

Prue: Here you go.

(He drinks some water.)

Cole: Thanks. I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

Prue: You're lucky to be feeling anything right now.

Cole: Yeah, I know. (to Leo) You must be one hell of a doctor.

Prue: He is. He's the best.

Cole: I owe you one.

Leo: Forget it. Phoebe, can I talk to you out here?

Cole: Go ahead. I'm fine.

Prue: Okay, I'll be right back. (She kisses his forehead and she and Leo go out into the hallway.) What's the matter?

Leo: Prue, listen to me, I think we should get of here now.

Prue: I agree. Whoever's after him could come back.

Leo: That is not what I'm talking about. You saw what happened in there.

Prue: Yeah, you healed him.

Leo: No, Prue, I only healed _part_ of him. That has never happened before.

Prue: Well, maybe it's just because he's weak.

Leo: That is not the reason. I can heal mortals _completely_. There is no other explanation. He is not who you think he is.

Prue: No…. I don't understand.

Leo: He is a _demon_ , Prue! For all we know, he could be the demon that you are trying to vanquish.

Prue: That's ridiculous.

Leo: Think about it, okay. They're both hurt, they're both on the run. You saw where Cole's wound is. It is the _same place_ where Piper cut the flesh from Belthazor.

Prue: No, I don't believe it.

Leo: You _have_ to believe it.

Prue: No, I _don't_ , Leo! I don't. Maybe you should just go.

Leo: No way am I leaving you here alone with him!

Prue: I have the potion, don't I? Just go.

(Leo orbs out. Prue walks back inside. She looks around for Cole. She closes the door and Cole is standing behind it. She gets a fright.)

Cole: Everything all right?

Prue: Yeah, everything's fine.

[Scene: An alley. Piper, Phoebe, and Krell are there.]

Krell: I can smell his blood, he's close.

Phoebe: Where?

Krell: Get your potions.

Phoebe: You know, it's too bad that he's such a bad guy, 'cause he could really come in handy.

Piper: Don't push it.

(They walk down the alley. Krell removes some boxes where a homeless person is sleeping.)

Krell: Vanquish him.

Homeless Man: Hey, what's going on? Who are you?

Krell: It's a trick. He's in his human form. Throw the potion.

Phoebe: I don't know, Krell. Don't you think he would've picked a better human? Uh, no offence, honey.

Homeless Man: Oh, none taken.

(Krell snatches the potion off of Piper.)

Piper: Hey, easy! (Krell throws the potion at the homeless man.) And you call yourself a Zotar.

(Krell picks up Cole's coat and smells it.)

Krell: Where did you get this coat?

Homeless Man: I didn't do anything.

(Krell picks up the guy and pushes him against a fence.)

Krell: Tell me!

Homeless Man: I just _found_ it!

Phoebe: Leave him alone, he doesn't know anything.

Homeless Man: Yeah.

(Krell starts zapping him and Phoebe trips him to stop him.)

Homeless Man: Thanks, lady.

Krell: Touch me again, witch, and I'll kill you.

Phoebe: You had no reason to hurt that man.

Krell: I'm a demon, it's my nature to hurt people.

Phoebe: Yeah, and it's our nature to protect them.

Krell: He's a pathetic wretch. His life means nothing. If you'd let me torture him, we'd know where he found the coat.

Phoebe: Whatever it takes.

Krell: That's right.

Phoebe: Well, from here on out, it's gonna take doing this our way.

Krell: Ha, then we will fail. Because your morality cripples you. It blinds you from doing what must be done.

Phoebe: There are better ways of getting answers out of people, Krell. (She picks up the coat.) Maybe I can get a premonition off of this thing.

Piper: Well, at least we know that Belthazor has very expensive taste. (Phoebe looks at the coat.) What? What is it?

Phoebe: How long ago did the Triad send Belthazor?

Krell: Two months ago. Why?

Phoebe: Does this look familiar to you?

Piper: I don't know. Why?

Phoebe: Because Cole has one _exactly_ like it.

Piper: _Cole_? You think Cole is…

Phoebe: Belthazor's human form.

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Cole is in the bathroom. Prue is waiting out in the living room.]

Cole: Too bad Leo had to leave like that. I didn't really get a chance to thank him properly.

Prue: He knows.

(Cole comes out.)

Cole: He knows what?

Prue: He knows how grateful you are.

Cole: Oh. Good. (Cole goes back into the bathroom. Prue looks in his briefcase. It's empty.) Still, I don't know how he did it. I'd sure like to know what his secret is.

Prue: (to herself) I'll bet.

Cole: Sorry?

Prue: Uh, nothing, never mind. Hey, don't you think you should lay down and rest? I mean, you are still hurt.

Cole: I can't. I've still got those people that did this to me to deal with.

Prue: Yeah, and you won't tell me who they are, huh?

(She looks in his drawers and they are empty too.)

Cole: I... really can't.

Prue: They don't have anything to do with that case you're working on? The reason I ask is because when that DA investigator came by today, he was asking me about it and I realised that I really didn't know anything.

(Cole comes out of the bathroom.)

Cole: Looking for something?

(She holds up a pencil.)

Prue: A piece of paper. I wanted to write myself a little note.

Cole: It's right in front of you by the phone.

(Prue laughs.)

Prue: Thanks. (She picks up the notepad. Cole goes back into the bathroom. Prue gets the potion out of her bag.)

[Cut to downstairs. Piper, Phoebe, and Krell walk inside the building.]

Piper: What are we gonna do?

Phoebe: We're gonna vanquish him.

Piper: We're gonna vanquish Prue's boyfriend? That's gonna cause some problems.

Krell: If you hesitate, he'll kill us all.

Piper: Excuse me, I'm having a private conversation over here.

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Leo, what are you doing here?

Leo: I didn't wanna get in between you guys, but I didn't know what else to do.

Phoebe: About what?

Leo: I think Cole is-

Phoebe: Belthazor's human form. Yeah, that's why we're here.

Leo: How did you know?

Piper: Where's Prue?

Leo: She's upstairs with Cole, apartment seven.

Krell: Tell me you didn't heal him.

Leo: Well, not completely.

Krell: You _idiot_.

Piper: _Leo!_

Leo: Prue begged me. I didn't know what to do.

Piper: You stay here, we'll fix it.

[Cut to Cole's apartment.]

Cole: Is there something wrong, Prue? Something you're not telling me?

Prue: Don't you think you have that backwards?

Cole: Meaning?

Prue: You're the one with all the secrets, right?

Cole: Am I? You sure about that?

Prue: I don't really know what I'm sure about anymore.

Cole: _Yeah_ , I know how you feel.

Prue: I doubt that.

Cole: I... think I know what's going on here, Prue, and I'm sorry it's come to this. But I'm not sorry about us. You need to know that.

Prue: You never told me where you were from.

Cole: You never asked.

Prue: I'm asking now.

Cole: Why don't you ask me what you really want to know, Prue. I won't... lie to you.

Prue: Who are you?

(Piper, Phoebe, and Krell burst in.)

Cole: Krell.

(Cole changes into Belthazor. Prue looks shocked. A knife appears in his hand and he grabs Prue. Krell tries to zap Belthazor, but Phoebe pushes his hand out of the way.)

Phoebe: _No!_

(Belthazor shimmers out of the room, taking Prue with him.)

Piper: Prue!

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cole's apartment. Continued from before.]

Krell: You let Belthazor escape!

Phoebe: You almost killed our sister.

Krell: Your sister is _dead_ anyway. He only needed her to get away!

Piper: I don't think Cole will hurt Prue.

Krell: Yes, he would.

Piper: Then why hasn't he? He's had so many chances.

Krell: He just used her until he could get all three of you. The Charmed Ones. Why he couldn't follow through I'll never understand.

Piper: _Maybe_ he fell in love.

Krell: I can save your sister if it's not too late.

Phoebe: Why would you want to?

Krell: I _wouldn't_. But I'll do it if it's the only way to kill Belthazor. Give me the potion. I can find him and get to him faster alone.

Piper: Nice try. Forget it.

Phoebe: You already said that you can't track him if he can shimmer.

Krell: But he _can't_ shimmer _well_. He needs time to recharge. Your Whitelighter only healed his human half.

Piper: I'm sorry, his _human half_?

Krell: That's why the Triad sent him. He understands you. He can blend in. A full-blooded demon could never have gotten so close. Give me the potion.

Phoebe: If you hurt her, we'll track you down.

(Phoebe hands Krell the potion. He glistens away.)

Piper: Do you really trust him?

Phoebe: No. Come on.

Piper: Where are we going?

Phoebe: Oh, to where demons hide.

[Scene: Cemetery. Belthazor and Prue shimmer in.]

Prue: Can we _stop_ shimmering all over the place?! I'm gonna _vomit_!

Belthazor: I had to lose Krell.

(Prue elbows him in the stomach and flips him over onto the ground. She gets the potion.)

Prue: And now it's time to vanquish you. (Belthazor changes back into Cole.) Don't even think that's gonna save you.

Cole: I don't. I just wanted you to see who I really am, Prue.

Prue: I've _seen_ who you really are... Belthazor.

(She gets ready to throw the potion.)

Cole: Wait, wait, I won't hurt you.

Prue: No? It's a little too late for that, don't you think? Why? Why didn't you just kill me? Why did you have to put me through all of this? Was it some... sick, twisted demonic thrill? Was that what it was?!

Cole: _No_ , that's not it.

Prue: Then what was it?!

Cole: I _couldn't_ kill you. I _tried_. I was supposed to. I mean, at first, you and your sisters thwarted my attempts. Even when I went back in time to destroy your line on All Hallow's Eve.

Prue: That was you?

Cole: Then Vinceres, Andras. I got him to strip your powers, to make you vulnerable. I had you too, right where I wanted you. All I had to do was finish the job. But I couldn't. Because I realized I loved you.

Prue: You _bastard_.

Cole: That's the truth, Prue. I admit that everything else was a lie, but not that. I know you know that too. In your heart. This isn't a mask, Prue. It's who I am. Who I really am. I'm half human. My father was a mortal.

Prue: You're lying.

Cole: How else would I bleed red, even as my demon self? You have to believe me, Prue. I forgot what it was like to be human. To feel, to care. Then I met you.

Prue: But it doesn't change anything. Because you're _still_ a demon.

Cole: One who's done unspeakable things. (Krell glistens in nearby.) But you've awakened something in me, Prue. Something I thought had died a long time ago. My humanity, my ability to love.

Prue: I wanna believe you.

Cole: Then let me prove it to you. (Cole spreads out his arms.) Vanquish me.

(Krell zaps him. He flies through the air and lands hard on the ground.)

Prue: Cole! (She runs over to him.) Cole, you've gotta get up. Cole, get up! (She helps him up.) Come on, come on! (She helps him into a mausoleum. Krell zaps near them. Cole coughs and leans on a coffin.) Cole, no, don't do this. Come on.

(She helps him walk over to a corner of the mausoleum. He sits down. Krell walks in.)

Krell: I should've known you'd come back here.

Cole: Don't hurt her.

Krell: You disappoint, Belthazor. You've changed. You let your weaker human side affect your better judgment. It's going to cost you your life. (He holds up the potion. Prue uses her power to make it fly out of his hand and then kicks him. She blocks his punches before using her power on him. He flies over a coffin. Prue jumps on top of the coffin and as she jumps back off to kick him, he glistens away. He glistens back in behind her.) _Witch_.

(She turns around. He holds up his hand ready to zap her.)

Cole: _No!_ (Cole throws an energy ball at Krell and vanquishes him. Cole stands up.) Do you believe me now?

(Prue walks over and kisses him.)

[Cut to outside. Piper and Phoebe are there.]

Phoebe: Prue?!

Piper: Prue!

[Cut back into the mausoleum. Prue and Cole are still kissing.]

Piper: (from outside) Prue!

(They stop kissing.)

Cole: I better go.

Prue: They'll keep looking for you until they find you.

Cole: Your sisters?

Prue: Them too.

Piper: (from outside) Prue?!

Prue: Give me your shirt.

(She starts taking off his shirt.)

Cole: My _shirt_?

Prue: Hurry up. (He takes off his shirt and Prue drops it on the ground. She picks up the potion and gets out the dagger.) Give me your hand. Trust me.

(Prue cuts Cole's hand with the dagger and squeezes the blood onto his shirt. She drops the potion onto his shirt and it burns and makes a loud noise.)

[Cut to outside. Piper and Phoebe hear the noise.]

Phoebe: Prue.

Piper: There.

(They run towards the mausoleum.)

[Cut back inside.]

Prue: Nobody will look for you anymore. You're dead.

Piper: (from outside) Prue!

Prue: Down here! (to Cole) You have to go. Please.

(They kiss and Cole shimmers out. Piper and Phoebe run in.)

Phoebe: Prue?

Piper: Prue, thank god you're okay.

(They see the burning pile.)

Prue: He killed Krell.

Phoebe: And you did what you had to do.

(Phoebe hugs her.)

Prue: I know.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue is lying on the couch holding Cole's dagger. Piper and Phoebe walk in. Piper's holding a tray of food.]

Piper: We brought you some comfort food.

Prue: Thanks, I'm not really that hungry.

Phoebe: You wanna talk?

Prue: I don't know what there is to talk about. I should apologize. What I did was….

Piper: Prue, he fooled us all, not just you.

Prue: That's not what I mean. I don't know, I just…. I feel so... ashamed.

Piper: You can't be so hard on yourself.

Phoebe: You didn't do anything wrong, you know.

Prue: Didn't I?

Phoebe: Well, the important thing is that it's over. We can get on with our lives now.

Piper: At least until the next Belthazor attacks. We'll leave you alone.

Phoebe: Let us know if you need anything.

Prue: Thanks.

(They walk out of the room.)


	9. Coyote Piper

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** This episode was a little harder to do, so there may be errors. If you spot any, please let me know by either review or PM so that I can fix things.

 **Coyote Piper**

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Phoebe and Leo are there looking at a teen picture of Piper when she had glasses and braces, stuck on a board along with other people's photos for the 10-year reunion.]

Phoebe: Alright, I know that it seems like she's being a little neurotic, but high school was hard for her. _Really_ , really hard. You know, she was kind of like Jan Brady, the middle sister, not quite sure where she fits in.

Leo: Jan who?

Phoebe: Hmm.

Piper: (from upstairs) Okay, ready or not, here I come.

Phoebe: Okay, no matter what, just be supportive. (Piper comes down wearing a very weird black and gold feathered dress.) _Wow_! Um, you look great.

Leo: Really, really, _really_ great.

Piper: Leo, two reallys would have been plenty. I look _ridiculous_.

(Phoebe and Leo look at each other.)

Phoebe/Leo: No!

Leo: Uhh….

Phoebe: Feathers and….

Leo: Really….

Phoebe: Yeah….

Piper: _Great_ , I'm going to go to my 10-year reunion and win most likely to scare people away at the door.

(Piper walks over to the mirror and starts removing her makeup. Phoebe motions for Leo to follow. He walks over to her.)

Leo: Come on, Piper, isn't this supposed to be a _fun_ thing, you know, going back and seeing all your old friends?

Piper: You weren't by any chance _popular_ in high school, were you?

Leo: Well, I was…. I mean…. Is there a right answer to this question?

(Leo looks back at Phoebe and she shakes her head.)

Piper: Leo, I didn't like high school, not even _a little bit_. I was a _nobody_ in high school.

Phoebe: Piper, you were _not_ a nobody.

Piper: Phoebe, you were once Student of the Month. You have no idea what it's like on the other side.

Phoebe: Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry.

Piper: I just…. I had this stupid idea that I'd go back in 10 years and show them, and all I'm gonna show them is that I'm a big-haired _freak_.

Phoebe: Alright, you do not look like a freak. You just…. You don't look like yourself.

Piper: Well, if I could go as _myself_ , I wouldn't be _having_ this problem.

Leo: Wait, so you mean this is like a costume party?

(They walk into the living room.)

Piper: What I _mean_ is that I'm this _super-powerful witch_ who's engaged to a _Whitelighter_ saving the world from evil on a _daily freaking basis_ , and all these people are going to see is the same pitiful loser who _still_ lives at home with her sisters and her _unemployed_ boyfriend.

Phoebe: Okay. Did you put a lot of hairspray on that hair?

Piper: _No._

Phoebe: Well, then all is not lost. By the time I'm done with you, you are going to be the hottest chick at the reunion.

Piper: Really?

Phoebe: Mmm hmm.

Leo: Hey, uh, what about Prue? Maybe you guys should invite her to join you. She's been kind of distant lately.

Piper: Leo, when you find out your boyfriend is a demon and then you have to vanquish him, a little alone time is in order.

(Piper leaves the room.)

Phoebe: Besides, I think it's a whole wounded pride thing.

Leo: So what do we do?

Phoebe: We double-team. You help Prue with her demons, and I will help Piper with hers.

[Scene: An alchemist's lab. He smashes some glass test tubes with his hand. He holds up his bleeding hand. A woman (Terra) is standing in front of him.]

Kierkan: I made you from my own blood, found you a flawless body and housed you in it! You were supposed to be my-!

Terra: _Masterpiece_? I'm not a _painting_ , Kierkan! That blood gave me your powers, your lust for life, yet you hold me captive in this hole and you expect me to be _grateful_?!

Kierkan: Belthazor was more powerful than either of us. Where is he now? _Vanquished_ , by the Charmed Ones.

Terra: Is that fear I'm sensing? Is Kierkan, the dark and powerful alchemist, afraid of _three little witches_?

Kierkan: Perhaps I should suck you back into your little mixing bottle and start again. There's always room for improvement.

Terra: I have a better idea.

(She picks up a dagger and stabs herself with it.)

Kierkan: _No!_ (Blue gas rises from her body and floats out the door.) I will find you, Terra! You belong to me!

[Cut to outside a building. A man in a suit is there talking on his cell phone.]

Man: I don't care, it has to be huge. And done. And done before the stock IPOs. And, uh, please tell the music guy that I don't wanna hear anymore of that '90s techno _crap_ , okay. This is a computer game for the new millennium and I want it to freakin' sound like that. (Blue gas rises out of the drain and enters the man. She possesses him.)

Man/Terra: Bye now. (She hangs up.) Well, I've never been a man before. (She feels his crotch.) _Walking_ should be interesting.

(Terra looks into the reflection of the building and sees the man's non-possessed self.)

Man's reflection: What the hell is going on?

Man/Terra: I want you to take me to the Charmed Ones.

Man's reflection: What?

Man/Terra: The _witches_ , you _fool_. They go by Halliwell?

(The man's reflection sees someone walk by and calls out.)

Man's reflection: Hey, hey, help me!

Man/Terra: Nice try, but nobody can hear you. You're just a trapped soul now. Only I can see you.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Piper's room. Piper and Phoebe are there. There are clothes all over her bed. Piper is dressed in a suit and is looking in the mirror.]

Piper: I don't know, maybe we should go back to the Betsey Johnson. You know, the cool club chick look as opposed to the classy club owner look.

Phoebe: Yeah, or we could just wrap you in a sheet and send you as a Hare Krishna, all right? What do you think about that? Since we've already _tried everything else_.

Piper: I'm sorry. I just don't think I can do it. I can't go there and face all those _horrific people_.

Phoebe: I mean, come on, why do you even care what these people think?

Piper: Only you and Prue could ask that question.

Phoebe: Alright, look, I realize high school was very hard for you, but you are just not that shy awkward girl anymore.

Piper: But-

Phoebe: No! Now, you are going, and you are going to have a great time, young lady.

Piper: You are not the boss of me.

Phoebe: Oh, I am too. Besides, nothing could be worse than _my_ date last night.

Piper: What do you mean? I thought he was nice.

Phoebe: Oh, I have one word for you: halitosis. And he only scored a two.

Piper: Oh, Phoebe, please don't tell me you're making lists again.

Phoebe: Of course I am. Lists are good. Why waste your time if it's not gonna work out?

Piper: Well, maybe I can look around the reunion for you.

(Prue walks by. Piper and Phoebe follow her.)

Piper: Uh, Prue, are you sure you don't want to come tonight? You could work the bar and mix some yucky drinks for some ex-cheerleaders. (Phoebe chuckles.)

Prue: I have to go to work.

Phoebe: Prue, look, we just want you to know that if you need to talk at all, we're here.

Prue: I know that. I'm okay.

Piper: Really? 'Cause you haven't spent like five minutes in the same room with us for over a week.

Prue: I'm sorry. It's just there's some things, some answers, that I need, and I sort of need to find them for myself, you know?

Phoebe: Soul-searching?

Prue: Definitely... searching, yeah. But I'm okay. Don't worry about me. (to Piper) You look beautiful.

Piper: Thanks.

Prue: Have fun tonight.

(She walks away.)

[Time lapse. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are carrying stuff for the reunion out to Piper's car. Someone in a car pulls up in front of the house.]

Justin: Piper Halliwell? You still living at home?

Piper: Justin Harper, is that you?

(Justin gets out of the car and Piper walks over to him.)

Justin: Hey.

(They hug.)

Leo: (to Phoebe) Uh, so who's this? Ex-boyfriend?

Phoebe: Oh, don't worry about him, Leo. He's just a friend from school. Besides, he had a really big crush on Prue. He used to follow her around like a puppy dog.

Piper: (to Justin) Are you going to the reunion?

Justin: _Oh, yeah_. Nostalgia struck, thought I'd drive around the old neighbourhood. Ten years. It's unbelievable.

Piper: Yeah. We were just actually heading to P3 for the planning committee. We have a lot more food than we have room for. Would you mind….?

Justin: Absolutely.

(Piper walks back over to Leo. Phoebe carries a tray of food over to Justin.)

Phoebe: Great! Here you go. Look at you, Justin, all grown up.

Justin: Yeah, you, too. Phoebe, isn't it?

Phoebe: Mmm hmm.

(Phoebe goes back inside.)

Leo: (to Piper) Well, it looks like you've got all the help you need, which is good, because they're calling.

Piper: No, you can't cut out on me. I _need_ you tonight.

Leo: I'll be back in time for the reunion, I promise.

Piper: _Double extra_ promise.

Leo: I wouldn't miss it. I'm gonna have the prettiest date ever.

(They kiss.)

[Cut to Man/Terra sitting in a car nearby watching them. The non-possessed self appears in the rear view mirror.]

Man's reflection: _Please_. Look, you've found them. Why don't you just get out of me?

Man/Terra: I have to get one of them alone. The transfer's a little, huh, _messy_. I can't do it just anywhere.

Man's reflection: Look, I'm begging you. I can't stand this anymore. I can't breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating.

Man/Terra: That's because your soul is _dying_. It'll be easier if you don't fight it.

(Piper and Justin drive off and Man/Terra follows.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Mausoleum. The same mausoleum where Prue faked Cole's death. Prue's there looking at the hole in the ground where she burnt Cole's shirt.]

Prue: Cole, if you can hear me, I can't stand lying anymore. I have to tell my sisters that you're alive, that I let you go, and that you would never do anything to hurt us, and... that you love me. I just don't know how to do it. I need…. I need for….

(Prue sees a coffin that has "Benjamin Coleridge Turner 1859-1888" carved on it.)

[Scene: P3. Piper and Phoebe come down the stairs carrying plates of food.]

Phoebe: Now just remember, even if you can't tell them that you're super-witch, you can still act like it.

(Piper spots a blonde woman standing across the room.)

Piper: Oh, my god, Missy Campbell, _homecoming queen_.

Phoebe: Oh, please, that's ancient history. You can do this.

Piper: Uh-huh.

(Piper walks over to Missy. Phoebe goes up to the bar where Justin is sitting.)

Piper: Missy, is that you? (Missy looks confused.) Piper. Piper Halliwell. Uh, we had chem together, and Miss Fowler, for English.

Missy: _Right_. _Piper_. You used to sit in the back of class drawing _pictures_ on your jeans.

Piper: _Yes_! Yeah, that, yep, that was me.

Missy: Wow, your skin has _really_ cleared up. Acutane?

Piper: No, n-no, I guess, you know, ten years. Is there anything I can do to help or….?

Missy: Do you know what would be great? Can you get this _trash_ out of here?

(She points to a pile of trash on the floor.)

Piper: Absolutely. I, yeah. I can-I can totally do that. I know... where the dumpster is and everything.

[Cut to the bar where Phoebe and Justin are sitting.]

Phoebe: Alright, that's it, she needs me.

Justin: She's gotta find her legs on her own sometime.

Phoebe: Sorry?

Justin: Remember when she ran for freshman class secretary? She got so nervous that Prue had to go up on stage and finish her speech for her.

(Man/Terra walks down the stairs and spots Piper cleaning up the trash. Phoebe sees Piper picking up the trash.)

Phoebe: Oh! (She goes over to her.) Piper, what are you doing?

Piper: Uh, Missy asked me to take out the trash, so-

Phoebe: _So_ , you _own_ this place, alright? Tell _somebody else_ to take out the trash.

Piper: Phoebe, I can't. Look, I can't explain it, but being around these people makes me feel exactly like I did when I was sixteen, invisible and inferior.

Phoebe: You want me to beat them up? 'Cause I-I-I'II beat them up one-by-one.

Piper: No. Look, it's not them. It's just me.

Phoebe: Alright, so what are you going to do about it?

Piper: Take out the trash?

Phoebe: _Piper_.

Piper: Okay, I'm going to take out the trash, and try and get a grip. And then I'm going to come back in here and do something about these streamers and balloons, because, what, are we still at the _prom_?

Phoebe: Hmm.

(Piper picks up the bags of trash and takes them outside. Phoebe sits back down at the bar. Man/Terra picks up a knife.)

[Cut to outside. Piper puts the trash bags in a dumpster. Man/Terra walks outside. Piper turns around and gets a fright. He jabs the knife in his chest.]

Piper: Oh my god, oh my god.

(The man falls to the ground. Piper kneels in front of him and the blue gas rises out of him and into Piper. She stands up.)

Piper/Terra: Thanks for the lift. (She covers the man with an old sheet. She looks into some broken glass and non-possessed Piper's reflection shows up.) You'd better be as powerful as they say you are.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Piper/Terra walks into P3. She looks into a mirror.]

Piper/Terra: Uh, help me out. What is our sister's name?

Piper's reflection: If you get out of my body now, I might not have to vanquish your sorry ass.

Piper/Terra: Not as weak as you seemed after all. That'll change.

[Cut to Phoebe and Justin at the bar.]

Phoebe: Wow. You only scored a four. That is just so sad.

Justin: Well, excuse me, but you only scored a five out of ten on my list.

Phoebe: Right, so I got an F, but, dude, you got an F-minus.

Justin: _Ouch_. That's a bad high school flashback.

(Phoebe sees Piper gulping down shots of alcohol. Phoebe runs over to her.)

Phoebe: Uh-oh. Hi! Okay, hi. Don't really think that that's the best way to deal with your reunion jitters, okay.

Piper/Terra: What? Oh, _okay_.

(Missy comes up to them.)

Missy: _Piper_ , can you move your hors d'oeuvres to the other table? Heather wants to use _that one_ for the "Then and Now" photos.

Piper/Terra: Uh, sure, whatever you say.

(Missy walks away.)

Phoebe: No. You stand up to her. You can do it.

Piper/Terra: I can?

Phoebe: You can do it.

Piper/Terra: _Okay._ (to Missy) Hey! _Bitch_! Move the trays _yourself_!

Phoebe: Alright, um, that was great, although the "bitch" part might have been a little much, but….

(Piper grabs Phoebe's arm.)

Piper: Phoebe, help me!

Phoebe: _Alright_ , what's wrong?

Piper/Terra: Uh, nothing. I just don't _feel very well_. Um, I should go home.

Phoebe: Oh, no, you don't. I'm not letting you skip your reunion, alright? You did _great_ just now.

Piper/Terra: I just need to rest. I'll be back.

Phoebe: No, you get back here by 6:00, otherwise I'm gonna come and get you and it won't be pretty. Got it?

Piper/Terra: Mmm hmm.

Phoebe: Uh-huh.

Piper/Terra: Okay.

[Cut to outside P3. Kierkan is there. He finds the man and removes the sheet. A bright light comes out of Kierkan's hand and shines into the man.]

Alchemist: _Caducas Exanima Vita Etha Anima_

(The man comes back to life.)

Man: What... what the hell?

Kierkan: The spirit who possessed you, with _whom_ did she replace you?

Man: What? (The man sees the knife sticking out of his chest.) Oh, god, she stabbed me.

(Kierkan pins the man to the wall.)

Kierkan: _Focus!_

Man: She's a woman. Uh, brown hair. We followed her from Prescott Street. The big house on Prescott Street.

(Kierkan lets the man go.)

Kierkan: What was her plan?

Man: She was saying something about... wanting to kill some guy. Uh, something about revenge.

Kierkan: Predictable. After all, it's exactly what I would do.

Man: How... how am I still alive?

Kierkan: Oh, no. Not _still_ , _again_. My specialty, along with this.

(He kills the man again and covers him back up.)

[Scene: Historical Society. Prue's there standing in front of a desk where a woman sits looking at an old newspaper.]

Woman: Benjamin Coleridge Turner, died in 1888, although there's no date of death for his wife. That's odd. There should be some record of that.

Prue: Um, they had a baby though, didn't they? I think.

Woman: Yes. A son. Cole Turner. Born in 1885. Never got to know his father, unfortunately.

Prue: Cole Turner. That can't be.

Woman: That's strange. There's no date of death for him either. Must be another clerical error. I can't imagine he's alive and kicking at 115.

Prue: No. Can't imagine that.

[Scene: Manor. Piper/Terra walks inside. She looks into a mirror.]

Piper/Terra: Don't you get it? He's _going_ to find us.

Piper's reflection: Okay, I'll say it again, slowly. Try to follow this time. I'm not going to tell you what my powers are.

(Piper/Terra walks into the living room and looks out the window.)

Piper/Terra: I can't figure out if you're stubborn or stupid. If I can't fight him, he's going to kill us. He's looking for me. I can feel him. And he's _getting close_.

(She looks in another mirror.)

Piper's reflection: Well, get out of my body, and I'll help you fight him.

Piper/Terra: I can't survive without a body, and I'd much rather your soul die than mine.

(She walks into the conservatory.)

Piper's reflection: My sisters will figure out what you've done and-

Piper/Terra: And what? What do you plan to do? _Wave to them_ from the mirror? You're nothing but my _reflection_ to them.

Piper's reflection: I controlled my arm at P3. I used my voice. I'll get _stronger_ , and when I do-

Piper/Terra: Wrong. You'll get weaker, and in a few hours you'll die. And there's really nothing you can do about it.

Piper's reflection: Well, then you better watch your back. Because if I die, my sisters will make you wish you died with me.

Piper/Terra: Hmm. Care about you a lot, these sisters of yours? (She walks into the kitchen.) Think they'd come running to help you fight off an angry demon? (She picks up the phone and dials a number.) (into phone) Hello. I'd like the number for P3, please.

Piper's reflection: _Ugh_. What do you think you're doing?

Piper/Terra: Well, you may have a death wish, but I don't. And if you won't help me, I know someone who will.

[Cut to P3. Phoebe's behind the bar. Justin comes up to the bar.]

Phoebe: Hey, uh, could you hand me those glasses?

(He does so. The phone rings. Phoebe answers it.)

Phoebe: P3.

Piper/Terra: Phoebe? It's me.

Phoebe: Piper, what's wrong?

Piper/Terra: I-I-I got home and there was a demon in the house.

Phoebe: Are you okay? Did you freeze him?

[Cut to Piper/Terra in the manor.]

Piper/Terra: (to herself) Freeze him? That's good. (in the phone) No, he-he got away and he had this wild hair and these intense _bulging_ eyes and he said that he would come back.

Phoebe: Uh, alright, look in the Book of Shadows for a vanquish and I'll have Prue pick me up and we'll meet you at the house, okay?

Piper/Terra: Okay, but hurry, because he could come back any minute.

Phoebe: Alright, bye.

(She hangs up.)

Piper/Terra: Where's the book?

Piper's reflection: You just made a big mistake calling my sisters home.

Piper/Terra: Is that what you think?

Piper's reflection: That is what I know.

Piper/Terra: Well, here's what _I_ think. When your precious sisters come home, I'll kill you, and possess one of them. And if that one won't help me, I'll simply repeat the process. So, what do you say, Piper? _One dead demon_ or _three dead witches_?

Piper's reflection: The Book of Shadows is in the attic.

Piper/Terra: _Good choice._

(She heads for the attic.)

[Scene: Historical Society. Prue's there reading an old newspaper. Her cell phone rings and she answers it.]

Prue: Hello?

Phoebe: Hey, alright, don't panic, but Piper found a demon in the house. I need you to come pick me up so that we can meet her at the Manor.

Prue: Was it….? Uh, never mind. Wh-who was it? What demon?

Phoebe: Well, he had wild hair, and bulging eyes, and said that he would be back. Anyway, are you on our way?

Prue: Yeah. I'll come and pick you up. Just meet me out front. Bye.

[Scene: Outside the manor. Kierkan is there.]

[Cut inside. Piper/Terra comes down the stairs.]

Piper/Terra: We can't wait for your sisters. Can't I just do the spell myself?

(She looks in the mirror.)

Piper's reflection: No, it's a power of three spell. You can't do it by yourself.

Piper/Terra: What kind of witch can't kill a demon without her sisters?

Piper's reflection: What kind of demon has a panic attack whenever her boyfriend comes to visit?

(Kierkan barges through the door.)

Piper's reflection: Hi. This is where you freeze him.

(Kierkan hits her and she falls to the floor.)

Kierkan: Interesting move, Terra. The dagger in the heart. Crude, but I can't say I wouldn't have done the same. Of course, now... I will.

(He gets out a dagger.)

Piper/Terra: _Kierkan_ , there's something I need to tell you. You just pissed off one of the Charmed Ones.

(Piper/Terra freezes him. Prue and Phoebe walk in.)

Prue: Piper!

Piper/Terra: Prue, I have the spell!

(Piper/Terra gets up and walks over to them. She hands them a piece of paper.)

Prue, Piper/Terra, Phoebe: "Let flesh be flesh, and bone be bone/The alchemist shall transform none/Cruel scientist of evil born/With these words, face the fire's scorn."

(Kierkan unfreezes. He drops Terra's bottle.)

Kierkan: _No!_ I could have helped you! Now, she'll destroy you!

(He burns and disappears.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Prue, Piper/Terra, and Phoebe walk in.]

Prue: Alright, what did you say his name was again?

Piper/Terra: Kierkan, but he's _dead_. So what are we doing up here?

Prue: Well, because we have to at least acknowledge the fact that there is some kind of a she-demon after us, Piper.

Piper/Terra: Why?

Phoebe: "I could've helped you. Now she'll destroy you"? That's not exactly cryptic.

Piper/Terra: Said by a demon. Demons lie. So I say we get rid of the ugly little bottle and get on with our lives.

Phoebe: Piper, this bottle is our only clue.

Prue: Yeah. Maybe he was lying, but maybe he wasn't. You know, sometimes demons actually tell the truth.

Piper/Terra: Well, I have a party to get ready for.

Prue: Changing your clothes again?

Piper/Terra: _Definitely._

(Piper/Terra opens the door but Piper breaks through and shuts it.)

Piper: (weakly) Prue, I'm dying.

Prue: What?

Piper/Terra: Um, I'm dying to get out of these clothes. Are you sure you don't mind if I leave?

Prue: No, go ahead. We'll let you know if we find anything.

(Piper/Terra leaves the room.)

[Cut to Piper's room. Piper/Terra is looking in the mirror. She is wearing a red leather top and black leather pants.]

Piper's reflection: Okay, we vanquished your boyfriend, now why don't you give me back my body and save yourself while you can?

Piper/Terra: The only way I know how to get out of a body is a knife to the heart. You don't really want that, do you?

Piper: Okay. So tell my sisters and they will come up with a spell to get you out of me, safely. And then in exchange, we'll let you go free.

Piper/Terra: And give up the power to freeze? A chance to be one of the infamous Charmed Ones? No, thanks. I'll think I'll stay. But don't worry. It'll all be over soon. (Leo starts to orb in.) It'll be easier if you don't fight it.

Piper: Well, if my sisters don't figure you out and destroy you, my boyfriend Tom will.

(Leo orbs in, dressed in a suit.)

Leo: Wow.

Piper/Terra: Uh, Tom, you scared me. I didn't hear the door.

Leo: I didn't use the door. Did you just call me Tom?

Piper/Terra: Did I? Forgive me. (She kisses him passionately. He stops her.) What's wrong?

Leo: Nothing. It's just your kisses seem different.

Piper/Terra: Oh, don't be ridiculous. That's just because I've never wanted you so much.

(She kisses him again and he stops her again.)

Leo: Piper? What's my name?

Piper/Terra: (to Piper) You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? (She zaps Leo and he hits the wall.) It's okay. He's too cute to kill, and anyway, by the time he wakes up, you'll be gone. Besides, I have a party to attend, and _lots_ to celebrate.

[Cut back to the attic. Prue and Phoebe are flipping through the Book of Shadows.]

Prue: Apparently alchemists can transform anything. You know, like water into gold, energy into matter. They even have the ability to bring the dead back to life. But it doesn't really say anything about….

(Phoebe looks out the window and sees Piper/Terra leave the house.)

Phoebe: Hmm, that's weird.

Prue: What?

Phoebe: Piper just left without Leo, and she didn't say goodbye to us, or come up and show us what she's wearing or anything.

Prue: Here's the bottle, under alchemist's tools.

Phoebe: What's it say?

Prue: 'Essence-bearer. An alchemist would use a bottle such as this to capture or store a life essence.'

Phoebe: A life essence?

Prue: 'A life essence is comparable to a human soul, but made in a mixing lab. A well-made life essence can possess any living being, but would prove toxic and eventually lethal to the being's pre-existing soul.' Oh my god.

Phoebe: What?

Prue: She's been acting really... and she left without saying and-and the bottle. She wanted to destroy it.

Phoebe: Okay, I'm trying to jump on your thought train here, Prue, but you're moving a little too fast for me.

Prue: He was looking at _her_ when he said that she would destroy us. She's _possessed_. Piper is _possessed_.

Phoebe: _What?_

Prue: Alright, uh, we have to write a spell. A dispossessing spell. Come on, let's go.

Phoebe: Okay.

[Scene: P3. Piper is dancing on top of the bar. All the guys are whistling and cheering. She pours a shot of alcohol in a guy's mouth. Prue and Phoebe walk in.]

Phoebe: Okay, I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm just saying that I hope you're wrong, you know? (They see Piper.) Ooh!

Prue: Ooh.

Phoebe: Hope... dashed.

Prue: Uh, alright, come on, we need to get her alone.

(A woman comes up to them.)

Woman: You're Piper's sisters, right?

Prue: Yeah. Good memory.

Woman: Okay, um, listen, I think I know what Piper's going through. I have been sober for about five years now myself. And if Piper ever wants to-to go to a meeting, would you tell her to call me. Okay?

(She hands Prue a card.)

Prue: Okay.

Phoebe: Great. (The woman walks away. Prue and Phoebe see Piper dancing with a guy.) It's a good thing Leo is not here.

(Missy walks up to the guy.)

Missy: Dennis, what is the matter with you?

Dennis: Oh, wow, honey, I'm sorry.

(Piper/Terra freezes Missy.)

(Prue and Phoebe come over to them and bump into Missy, unfreezing her. Missy spills her drink over herself.)

Phoebe: Oh! Oh! I am so sorry.

(Missy storms off.)

Prue: (to Dennis) Hi. Your wife went that way. Bye! (to Piper) We need to show you something.

(They take Piper/Terra outside into the alley and start the dispossessing spell.)

Prue/Phoebe: "Host soul, reject the poison essence. Let love's light end this cruel possession."

(Nothing happens.)

Piper/Terra: Clever, girls. Piper said you would figure it out, although Piper won't be saying _anything_ in about half an hour.

Phoebe: She's too strong. We need the power of three.

Prue: You have ten seconds to leave on your own.

Piper/Terra: Or what? What are you going to do, hit me with another _rhyming couplet_? I'm made from Kierkan's blood, which means I have his powers. Add that to Piper's powers, and I'm stronger than your average essence.

Phoebe: Okay, we need help. Leo! Leo!

Piper/Terra: Oh, is that the boyfriend? I had to give him a little jolt. He'll be unconscious for awhile.

Phoebe: You may be able to knock out a Whitelighter, but don't even _think_ that you can take on the Charmed Ones.

Piper/Terra: Um, the bottle won't work on me unless I'm not in a body, and to get me out, you'd have to kill your own sister. Call me a gambler, but I seriously doubt that you're willing to do that, so….

(Prue uses her power and Piper/Terra flies against the wall.)

Prue: _Get the hell out of my sister!_

Piper/Terra: Alright. (She pulls the sheet off of the body of the man she killed and pulls the dagger out of him.) If you insist.

(She goes to stab herself.)

Prue: No, _don't_!

Piper/Terra: That's what I thought.

(She walks back inside P3.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Prue and Phoebe walk back inside. Piper/Terra is dancing.]

Phoebe: Okay, are you going to fill me in on the plan?

Prue: I'll explain on the way.

Phoebe: On the way where?

Prue: Home. Alright, there she is. We need Leo. (They walk over to Piper/Terra.) Hi! You're coming with us, okay?

[Prue grabs Piper/Terra's wrist but she pulls away.)

Piper/Terra: Like hell I am.

Phoebe: Piper, listen to me-

(Piper/Terra pushes Phoebe. Prue and Piper start slapping each other.)

Guy: Whoa! Cat fight. Dude!

(Prue hits Piper's neck and she falls down, knocking her out.)

Phoebe: _Nice!_

Missy: (to a friend) I always knew that they weren't that close.

(Justin walks over.)

Prue: Hey, hi, she's probably possessed. A little help to the car?

Justin: Yeah.

Phoebe: You okay? (They help Piper/Terra up and Justin throws her over his shoulder.) Alright, okay, show's over people! Just talk amongst yourselves.

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue and Phoebe lay an unconscious Piper/Terra on the couch.]

Prue: Alright, if we get back the power of three, we stand a chance.

Phoebe: I still don't understand how this is gonna work.

Prue: She has the alchemist's powers, which means she has the ability to bring the dead back to life.

Phoebe: Yeah, but she's not dead, Prue. Is there something you're not telling me?

Prue: Phoebe, I just need you to trust me, okay? So go find Leo, wake him up, and get him down here fast.

(Phoebe leaves the room. Prue picks up a dagger and puts the bottle on the coffee table. She places the dagger on top of the fireplace facing Piper. She kneels down beside Piper.)

Prue: Piper, I know that you're in there somewhere, alright, so just try and listen. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'm gonna bring you back. I'm so sorry, honey. I know that you tried to tell me in the attic and I…. But I'm going to fix it, okay? I promise I'll bring you back. (She stands up.) Please forgive me for what I'm about to do.

(Prue uses her power and the dagger flies into Piper's chest. She screams out in pain. Leo and Phoebe run in.)

Leo: _No!_

Phoebe: _Prue!_

(Leo runs over to Piper. Prue pushes Phoebe down behind the couch.)

Leo: _Prue, I can't heal the dead!_

(Leo pulls out the dagger and the blue gas comes out of Piper and into Leo.)

Prue: Now you can.

Leo/Terra: That I didn't expect. A little sibling rivalry I failed to take into account?

Phoebe: _Shut up._

Prue: Bring Piper back to life and I'll let you keep Leo's body. Refuse, and I'll put that knife through his heart and suck you back into the bottle forever.

Leo/Terra: But then your sister _and_ her boyfriend would be dead. Not the world's smartest plan.

Prue: She's already dead. I have nothing left to lose.

Leo/Terra: Give me the bottle and I'll bring her back.

Phoebe: Bring our sister back and we'll give you the bottle.

(Prue and Phoebe walk out from behind the couch. Prue holds up the bottle. Leo/Terra kneels down beside Piper.)

Leo/Terra: _Caducas Exanima Vita Etha Anima_

(A bright light comes out of his hand and goes into Piper. Piper comes back to life. Prue gives Leo/Terra the bottle as Leo/Terra stands up and they run over to Piper. Leo/Terra smashes the bottle.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Host soul, reject the poison essence."

Leo/Terra: _No!_

(Leo/Terra tries to zap them but Prue reflects it with her power.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Let love's light end this cruel possession."

(Terra floats out of Leo and explodes into a million pieces.)

Prue: Leo, she's still bleeding!

(Leo heals Piper and they hug.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk down the stairs.]

Prue: Oh, I'm so sorry that you missed your reunion.

Phoebe: Put on a good show, though. Table dancing, cat fight.

Piper: _Mmm._

(They walk up to the bar. Phoebe walks behind the bar.)

Leo: Table dancing?

Piper: _Never mind_. It's alright. I don't care what these people think anyway.

Phoebe: Really? That's new.

Piper: Yeah, well, my priorities were a little skewed. (Phoebe puts a beer on the bar.) (to Leo) And thank you, for knowing the difference between my kisses and hers. (Piper and Leo kiss.) (to Prue) And you, for being brave enough to-

Prue: Oh, what, kill you?

Piper: _Yeah_. Couldn't come up with a better plan, huh?

Prue: Um, no. Okay, I guess I'm gonna call Morris and tell him about... (whispers) the body in the alley.

(Prue walks away and Leo follows. Justin walks up to the bar.)

Justin: So you said you were gonna explain about the bar brawl.

Phoebe: Uh-huh. And you waited all this time _just_ for an explanation? (Justin smiles.) Why, Mr. Harper, I do believe that you're blushing.

Justin: So am I gonna get that explanation?

Phoebe: Absolutely.

Justin: _When?_

Phoebe: Um, when you call me.

(He walks away. Piper and Phoebe clink their beer bottles together.)

[Cut to Prue at the pay phones. She hangs up.]

Leo: You okay?

Prue: I don't know.

Leo: Prue, you've gotta give it some time. Cole…

Prue: Seduced me. And I let him. On the other hand, Piper was completely taken over by evil and she fought it every step of the way.

Leo: Seduction is subtler than possession. It's harder to fight. Look, you didn't know Cole was evil. Nobody did. When you found out, you vanquished him. You have nothing to be ashamed of.

Prue: He's still alive…. For me. He's still alive for me.

(She leaves.)


	10. We All Scream For Ice Cream

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** I saw that I got another review. Thank you so much! It was much appreciated! Keep them coming, please. :)

 **We All Scream For Ice Cream**

[Scene: P3. The place is full of people dancing. Phoebe and Piper are in the alcove. Piper is peeking around the curtain, looking at some guy. The guy is staring back at her. Phoebe comes and stands next to her.]

Phoebe: What's with the hide-and-go-peek?

Piper: He's still staring at me.

Phoebe: Who?

Piper: The guy at the end of the bar.

(The guy smiles.)

Phoebe: Oh, no, honey, that's not staring, that's flirting.

Piper: You say tomato.

Phoebe: No, I say relax-o. (They sit back down.) He seems pretty harmless. I mean, he's clean cut, innocent. The kind of guy that a girl could teach a few things to.

Piper: Hello? A girl that's in a _serious relationship_. Besides, it's always the innocent-looking ones you have to watch out for.

(Prue walks in the alcove and sits down.)

Prue: Hi, hey, alright, I need some professional help.

Phoebe: No arguments here.

Prue: Ha, cute. (to Piper) Uh, where is your DJ?

Piper: Uh, he's on break. Why? What's going on?

Prue: You know when you get a song stuck in your head and you can't seem to get it out?

Phoebe: Yeah, tell me about it. I couldn't get The Facts of Life theme song out of my head for like three years.

Prue: Alright, well, I have absolutely no idea what this one is and it's _driving me crazy_. And I thought that maybe your DJ might recognize it or something.

Piper: How's it go?

Prue: I'm not gonna sing it for you.

Piper: Why not? Maybe we'll recognize it.

Prue: Okay. (She hums something.) Anything?

Piper: Nada.

Phoebe: I'm thinking if you try it again with a little bit more _oomph_ , you know, maybe some choreography, and Piper could back you up with some old-school beatbox?

Prue: Why did I know that I would get absolutely no help out of you crazy people?

(She walks away. Piper and Phoebe follow.)

Piper: Oh, come on, wait a minute. Wait. We can't let you leave completely empty-handed.

(Piper hands Prue a card.)

Prue: What is this?

Phoebe: Well, I really reconnected with our old friend Justin. He's inviting us to his big annual family barbecue.

Piper: Sounds like fun.

Prue: _For who_?

Phoebe: Do you not want to go because it's a big family gathering?

Prue: Okay, if you're gonna go with the 'Prue's got parental issues' card, let me save you some time.

Phoebe: Oh, Prue, it's not like we blame you. I mean, seeing complete connected families is hard on all of us, but we can't spend our lives avoiding what bothers us.

Prue: The only thing bothering me right now is that I cannot get this _stupid_ song out of my head, alright? So I really appreciate your concern, but you know what I would appreciate even more? Five minutes with your DJ.

(Prue walks off humming the song.)

[Scene: An ice-cream truck is driving down the street playing the same tune Prue was humming. It stops in an alley. A boy walks up to the window.]

Ice Cream Man: Would you like some ice cream, little one?

Boy: Yeah.

(The ice cream man shows his face.)

Ice Cream Man: You didn't say 'please'.

(The boy gets sucked into the truck and screams on his way in.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Prue's room. She is asleep in bed. She is having a nightmare. In her nightmare there is a snowy playground. A child screams and yells "help me". The little girl runs through the playground over to her father. Prue's alarm wakes her up. It reads 7:00am.]

[Time lapse. Porch. The door opens and Prue walks out. She picks up the newspaper. She looks around as she hears the tune.]

[Cut to the kitchen. Phoebe is there on her laptop. Prue walks in.]

Prue: Morning, sunshine.

(Phoebe ignores her.)

Prue: Okay, how about, uh, cloudy with a chance of showers?

Phoebe: I'm sorry, did you say something?

Prue: Nothing pressing. You pull an all-nighter again?

Phoebe: Yeah, uh, subject matter's been elusive.

(Phoebe gets an Instant Messenger on her laptop.)

Prue: Caught by the bell. Who's the instant message from?

(Phoebe closes the laptop.)

Phoebe: Oh, it's nothing.

Prue: Alright, well, nothing usually means something, and something usually means a _boy_ , _so_ ….

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: Alright, I don't know what you guys are talking about, but what I've got is better... or at least bizarrer.

Prue: _Bizarrer?_

Piper: Mmm hmm.

Prue: Is that even a word, Piper?

Piper: Whatever. Anyway, Cara called last night, and she had a meeting in the Bay Tech Building yesterday, and she _swore_ that she saw _Victor_ walking through the lobby.

Phoebe: As in dad Victor?

Piper: As in we haven't seen or spoken to him in a year, and now he's probably in town, and he hasn't even bothered to call us. Yes, that would be the one. Now you see my need to share?

Phoebe: Oh, wait. But Cara hasn't seen him since what?

Piper: Like the first grade. I know, but she sounded _very_ sure. Why do you think he's here? Should we go and try to _find him_? I mean, what if it has nothing to do with us?

Prue: Well, I for one am not going to go out of my way to find out.

Phoebe: Wait, you're not even curious? Come on, Prue. I mean, he is our father.

Prue: No. Like I said before, I've come to terms with our lack of parental involvement. You know, some people just weren't meant to have the Rockwellian porch with the house, the two-car garage, the picket fence, the Golden Retriever, and the doting mom and dad.

Piper: Okay, so we're not the typical family, but he is all we have, Prue.

Prue: No, Piper, we have each other, okay? And we have other people that love us, too, and very full and busy lives. Speaking of which, I gotta dash. If you want to have lunch, I'll be up on Knob Hill in the park for... doing a shoot, okay?

Phoebe: Okay.

Prue: Okay.

Piper: Hey, can I walk you out?

Prue: That would be so nice.

(Prue and Piper leave the room, Prue humming the song again. Phoebe opens the laptop back up.)

[Scene: A building. Prue is stuck in a crowded elevator. She looks at her watch. She hears someone humming the tune. She looks around. The elevator door opens and a little girl walks out humming the tune.]

Prue: Oh, excuse me.

(She tries to get out but people get in the way. The door closes in her face.)

[Scene: Bay Tech Building. Piper walks up to the receptionist's desk.]

Piper: Hi. I'm, uh…. You don't really care who I am, do you? I mean, everybody else is on lunch break, and you're stuck here fielding random questions from people who probably shouldn't even be asking them in the first place, because-

Receptionist: Can I actually help you?

Piper: Yeah, right. Um, I'd like to know which company Victor Bennett is with?

(The receptionist types something on the computer.)

Receptionist: He's not.

Piper: Excuse me?

Receptionist: Bennett comma Victor? He's not listed in any office in the building.

(Piper pulls a picture out of her purse.)

Piper: I, uh, I have a picture. It's about from a decade ago, but have you seen him around? (The receptionist shakes her head.) Are you sure? Because I know that…. (A man walks out of the elevator.) Dad? Dad? (The man turns around.) It's…. Uh, it's not you. (The man continues walking.) I'm sorry, I thought you were…. I'm sorry.

[Scene: Park. Prue and Phoebe are sitting on a bench eating lunch.]

Prue: So, they say stick to what you know. So I pitched a piece about growing up in the city. Hopefully, it'll make the cover.

Phoebe: You're dodging. _Artfully_ , but it's still a dodge.

Prue: Alright, did you ever consider that maybe I just don't wanna go?

Phoebe: It has nothing to do with the barbecue, or the guy that asked us to go. It... has to do with dad.

Prue: Why do you insist on pinning everything that I do on my feelings or lack thereof for our father?

Phoebe: Prue, you say you're over it, but you say it so much that I have this feeling that the person you're trying to convince is yourself.

Prue: My feelings for our father are in the past, which means it really has no place in the present.

(A girl starts humming the tune.)

Phoebe: So Justin gets penalised for it.

Prue: There it is.

Phoebe: What?

Prue: That song. Don't you hear it? Somebody's humming it. (Prue runs over to a little girl and Phoebe follows.) Hi. Hey. I was wondering if you could tell me what that song is that you're humming.

(The girl points to an ice cream truck that drives by.)

Phoebe: Okay, riddle solved. Now you can stop humming that stupid song. So I think we were in the middle of you trying to make a strong argument of why you're not gonna go to Justin's barbecue. (Prue continues to stare at the truck.) Prue, if you keep ignoring me, my feelings just might _actually implode_.

(The girls runs off towards the truck.)

Prue: It's cold out.

Phoebe: Yeah, it's a little thing we like to call winter here.

Prue: Why would a child want ice cream when it's this cold out, and the truck pulled up and no one budged, and did you notice? There are no parents.

Phoebe: Okay, connect the dots for me, please? (Prue walks off.) Uh, preferably standing still. (Phoebe follows her.) Do you have a hankering for a snow cone? Prue, we're in the middle of a conversation, and considering your lunch hour ended, oh, five minutes ago, we should probably make this fast.

Prue: Yeah, well, something's wrong.

Phoebe: Yeah, I know that. Why don't you talk to me about it?

Prue: Not with me, Phoebe, with this, alright? I have a total déjà vu coming on.

Phoebe: Okay, so first you're humming weird songs, and now you're having flashbacks?

[Cut to the ice cream truck parked in an alley. The girl walks up to the window.]

Girl: Hello?

Ice Cream Man: Would you like some ice cream, little one?

(Prue and Phoebe walk up to the truck. The girl starts to get sucked into the truck.)

Prue: Alright, I mean, it's usually that my instinct is pretty much-

(Prue and Phoebe grab her legs and pull her back out. The ice cream man pokes his head out the window. Prue, Phoebe, and the girl get sucked into the truck.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Inside the ice cream truck. Prue and Phoebe are there in the snowy playground.]

Prue: Uh, alright, where's the little girl?

Phoebe: I don't know. I was holding onto her and then….

Prue: We have to find her.

Phoebe: Well, first we have to figure out where the hell we are.

Prue: Well, I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say that we're not still in the ice cream truck.

Phoebe: Or even worse, we _are_ still in the ice cream truck.

(They hear children in the distance.)

Phoebe: Prue….

Prue: I know, I hear it too. (They hear a noise which gives them a fright.) Alright, if there's a way in, there's definitely a way out.

(The ice cream man comes up behind them.)

Ice Cream Man: Who are you?!

(Prue and Phoebe scream.)

Prue: (to Phoebe) No powers, no powers, no powers.

Phoebe: I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised.

(A hole opens up above them and the Ice Cream Man runs away. They hear more noises.)

Phoebe: Okay, something tells me he was not running from us.

Prue: Okay, let's go.

(They start to run off but a little boy (Ari) comes out of the bushes.)

Ari: Help! Please help me.

(They go over to him.)

Prue: Help you from what?

Ari: The Nothing.

Phoebe: Is that the man that we just saw here?

Ari: It's up there. It comes for you, for everybody. When it gets you, the only thing left where you stood is nothing. You never know when it's coming, and you never know who it wants. We try to hide, but it keeps finding us. Hurry, it's coming. In here. (He runs towards the bushes.) Come on. Come here, in here.

(Prue and Phoebe follow him into the bushes. They crouch down beside a tree. A girl comes out of the bushes nearby.)

Girl: Wait for me!

Prue: Run!

Girl: Help!

(The girl runs towards them but trips and falls over.)

Prue: She's not gonna make it.

(Prue runs towards her. The girls gets sucked up into the Nothing.)

Phoebe: Prue, come on.

(Phoebe pulls Prue back into the bushes.)

Prue: She was right there.

Phoebe: Prue, it's not your fault. Our powers don't work here, we know that now. We'll be better prepared next time.

Ari: Does that mean that you're gonna save us?

Phoebe: _Us?_

Ari: There are others, just like me, hiding, captured by the Ice Cream Man. If he doesn't want you here, that must mean you have the power to save us. We should go. The Nothing'll be coming back. It always does. Come on.

[Scene: P3. Piper's on the phone.]

Piper: Prue, it's me, leaving you another message after leaving _Phoebe_ another message. I tried you at work, but they said you never checked in after your shoot, so where are you guys? (Piper sees the same guy as before standing at the other end of the bar.) Uh, look, so call me, or better yet, just show up and save me from having to perform an impending awkward rejection _all by myself_.

(She hangs up. The guy (Caleb) walks over to her.)

Caleb: Hi, I'm Caleb.

(She shakes his hand.)

Piper: Piper.

Caleb: I'm sort of new in town, and I'm looking to meet someone. Someone special? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your phone call to your….

Piper: Fiancé. Very large, very jealous fiancé.

(She walks around behind the bar.)

Caleb: Really? Does-does he ever come here?

Piper: He-he, all the time.

Caleb: So he lives nearby?

Piper: Uh, look, I'm flattered and, you know, if this was another time or place. Uh, maybe you'd like to meet one of my single sisters.

Caleb: _You've got sisters_? _Really_? Well, maybe we could all, uh, get together sometime. Does your fiancé like to hang out with your sisters, too?

Piper: Okay, uh, you know what? I don't know what kind of kinky stuff you're into, but there's a club down the street you might be more comfortable in. They've got cages, and rubber floors, and a three for two special on Fridays.

Caleb: I'm not looking for a club, Piper.

Piper: And I'm not interested, Caleb, at least… not in what I think you're interested in. So, if you don't mind, I have lots of stacking and stuff to do.

Caleb: I think you got the wrong…. Okay, okay. I'm gonna come back later when you're not, uh, stacking.

(Caleb walks away. Piper picks up the phone and dials a number.)

Piper: Prue, _where_ are you guys?

[Cut to inside the ice cream truck.]

Phoebe: Are we going in circles? This looks like the exact same playground.

Ari: In this place, everywhere you go looks the same. That's how the Nothing gets you. Only a few of us can find our way.

(Phoebe slaps Prue on the arm. Prue gasps.)

Phoebe: Why couldn't you get a boy-band song in your head like everybody else?

Prue: Alright, just tell us everything that you know about the mean Ice Cream Man.

Ari: Just that he's the one that put us here.

Prue: Alright, so is he in charge of the Nothing?

Ari: I don't know. I _guess_. The others are gonna be so happy to see you. We've been wishing and hoping that someday someone would come and save us, and now you're here.

Phoebe: Well, we're gonna do whatever we can to get you out of here. So why don't you take us to your friends?

Ari: Through here.

(He walks off. Phoebe touches a swing and has a premonition of Prue as a little girl. She is in the ice cream truck, calling out. She runs over to her father and he hugs her tightly.)

Prue: What is it?

Phoebe: I saw you when you were little, in this playground with Dad.

[Cut back to the manor. Piper is calling Leo.]

Piper: Leo. (She closes her eyes.) Leo. (Leo orbs in. She opens her eyes.) _It's about time._

Leo: Piper, I was busy.

Piper: Well, don't you have orb-waiting?

Leo: Look, it's not fair to my other clients if I keep getting calls from you while I'm at work.

Piper: Look, I just have one teensy favour. Prue and Phoebe never came back from lunch, and they haven't been returning any of my phone calls. And I know I'm probably just being paranoid, but can't you do that check-the-supernatural-radar thing that you do?

Leo: I'm sure it's fine. They're just-

(Piper gives him a look. Leo closes his eyes and concentrates.)

Piper: Leo? (He opens his eyes.) Not good?

Leo: I can't sense them anywhere. It's like they just…

Piper: Disappeared.

[Cut back inside the ice cream truck. Kids are standing in front of Prue and Phoebe.]

Prue: Alright, is that all of you?

Ari: All that's left.

Girl: Are you gonna save us?

Phoebe: We're gonna try.

Prue: Alright, I think the only way out of here is to go through the person that... (Prue sees the ice cream man standing nearby.) … put us here in the first place.

Phoebe: The Ice Cream Man? But how are we supposed to find him?

Prue: Something tells me that's not gonna be very hard.

Phoebe: Why not?

Prue: Oh, because he's right _over there_. (She points to him. The ice cream man runs away.) Okay, you kids stay here. We'll take care of the good humour man. Let's go.

(Prue and Phoebe run after him.)

Phoebe: There he is, by the slide.

Prue: Alright. Oh, hey, wait. Look at that. (They see a hole behind a slide.) What does that look like to you?

Phoebe: The street from the back of the truck.

Prue: That's right. The way out. Okay, all that we need now are the, uh-

(The kids come up to them.)

Phoebe: Hey, we were just coming to get you. Come on, we're going home.

Prue: Come on, come on, come on. (A girl goes up the slide and jumps out of the truck.) One down. (A boy jumps outside.) That's another one.

(The ice cream man sees them.)

Ice Cream Man: _No!_

Prue: Ooh, hurry! Get!

(Ari jumps outside.)

Phoebe: I'm going next.

Prue: Okay, but go.

Ice Cream Man: _Get away from the door!_

(Phoebe jumps out and so does Prue.)

[Cut outside. Everyone moves away from the truck except Ari.]

Phoebe: Ari, come on, hurry up.

(The ice cream man grabs Ari by the shirt. Ari grabs the ice cream man's wrists and burns his hands. Ari pushes him back in the truck and closes the door.)

Prue: Oh.

Phoebe: Oh my god.

Ari: Actually, (in demonic voice) quite the opposite.

Prue: Okay, we need to keep him away from the other kids.

Ari: I don't think they'll listen to you. (normal voice) You're not the boss of them.

Demon Girl: Did you do it?

(Ari nods.)

Ari: Say thank you to the witches.

Demon Boy and Girl: (demonic voices) Thank you.

(They laugh and run off.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Piper and Leo are sitting on the couch.]

Leo: Why don't we try focusing on the positive? They're together.

Piper: That's it? _That's_ your positive? Because I've got a list mile long in the negative column. They've been gone all night, Leo, and not even _you_ can find them.

Leo: I'm sure they're fine.

Piper: You _don't_ know that.

Leo: Piper, any minute now they are gonna walk through that door with a perfectly good explanation.

(Prue and Phoebe walk through the front door.)

Prue: Piper!

(Piper looks at Leo. He looks stunned.)

Leo: See?

Piper: Prue?! Phoebe?!

(Piper goes over and hugs them.)

Piper: Where-

Phoebe: Were we? Oh, I would like to know the same thing.

Prue: All that we know is that we have to go back.

Piper: Wait a minute, is this demon or sibling related?

Phoebe: A little bit of both. We thought the good guys were bad guys, and in trying to vanquish them, we helped the _real_ bad guys, which were dead ringers for good guys.

Leo: Was that English?

Prue: How about we fill in the blanks as we climb the stairs to that big book in the attic?

Phoebe: Good idea.

(They go upstairs.)

[Time lapse. Attic. Prue's flipping through the Book of Shadows.]

Piper: So, he's a demonic dog catcher, and he uses ice cream as bait? Great news for the lactose intolerant demons.

Prue: Nothing in here on the demon kids who escaped.

Phoebe: That we _helped_ escape.

Prue: But there's a whole page dedicated to the Ice Cream Man.

Piper: What?

Prue: He's _mortal_.

Phoebe: _What_? Do you remember when demons looked like demons and innocents looked like innocents? Who changed the rules on us?

Piper: Wait, if he's mortal, how does he do it?

Leo: It's not him.

Prue: Bingo. It's the song. It says, 'The Ice Cream Man plays the Devil's Cord, which is a series of notes that when sounded together specifically attract demon kids like moths to a flame.'

Phoebe: More like moths to _nothing_. That's what's inside the truck, nothing. That's why he pulls them in there. The Nothing is the only thing that can vanquish them.

Piper: So they might be _pint-sized_ , but they're _badasses_.

Leo: Alright, but if they couldn't get out on their own, how did you guys?

Prue: Because he let us out. He tried to save us.

Phoebe: And that is all she wrote, literally. Uh, the Nothing doesn't discriminate good or evil, tastes the same.

Piper: Now the only person who knows anything about the escaped meanies is stuck on the playground and is in serious danger of becoming lunch himself.

Prue: Right, and our powers don't play, not in this situation. I mean, Pheebs and I tried everything to get back in, but the door wouldn't budge.

Phoebe: Well, not everything.

Piper: Hmm? Mind sharing with the room?

Prue: Phoebe had a premonition of me.

Phoebe: _And_ Dad, in the playground.

Piper: You were there? How? _When_?

Phoebe: Only one way to find out.

Prue: Right, but we don't even know where he is, never have, not even now, when he might actually come in handy.

Phoebe: He's here. Dad's in San Francisco. He's been here for the last three months. So it was him that your friend Cara saw. And it was an email from him that I got yesterday that I didn't tell you guys about. He's here, an instant message away.

Piper: Phoebe, this is…

Phoebe: Huge. I know, and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys that I've been keeping in touch with him, but I wanted to. It just never seemed like the right time. So I guess now is the right time. What do you think?

Piper: Do we have a choice?

(Phoebe gets out her laptop.)

[Scene: Sidewalk. The demon boy stands there staring at a burnt body beside a bush. An ice cream truck is parked on the side of the road. Ari and the demon girl walks up to him.]

Ari: Whatcha doing?

Demon Boy: _Killing._

Ari: No kidding. Did anybody see you?

Demon Girl: Thought I was supposed to kill? Was it fun?

Demon Boy: He screamed a lot.

Demon Girl: _Cool._

Demon Boy: So what do we do now?

Ari: Well, I guess we waste _even more time_ while we pick up after you.

Demon Boy: But you said all we had to do was find the truck-

Ari: Not just any truck, _the_ truck. I already got rid of the Ice Cream Man. Remember? The only people we might have to kill to get to the _right_ truck are those _witches_.

Demon Boy: But-

(Ari walks over to the truck.)

Ari: And if you would've paid attention, you would've known that. And you also would've known... (Ari opens the back door of the truck.) that _this isn't_ the right truck. Now, I like killing just as much as the next demon, but right now we gotta be smart. And trashing every regular old ice cream truck that we see is _not_ smart.

Demon Girl: But it's fun.

Ari: And we'll have lots more fun when this is all over.

Demon Girl: _Promise?_

Ari: Yeah, but first do you think you can clean up this mess?

Demon Girl: I was waiting for you to say that. (She blows towards the body and it disappears.) Done.

[Scene: P3. Prue and Phoebe are sitting at the bar. Piper is standing behind it serving them a drink.]

Piper: Welcome to Club Switzerland.

Prue: Alright, could we just sort of cut the sarcasm there? I just didn't really feel like inviting him to our home for tea and cookies.

Phoebe: He's our father, Prue. This is family.

Prue: This is _business_ , alright? And don't even think about giving me that look. If he gives us any useful information about the playground, I will be the _very first one_ to thank him.

Phoebe: And then send him packing.

(Caleb approaches the bar.)

Caleb: These must be the sisters I've heard so much about.

Piper: Caleb, uh-

Caleb: And to think I almost didn't swing by today.

Piper: Okay, you know what? I've tried, I _really_ have, and you're not a bad guy, but obviously, the part of your brain meant to _take a hint_ wasn't _wired_ together properly because you're not taking _any_. (Leo stands behind Caleb.) This is a _really_ bad time.

Caleb: Oh, okay, when would be a good time?

Piper: (to Leo) _Help me._

Leo: (to Caleb) Hey. You got a phone call, it's in the office. Why don't I show you where that is?

Caleb: Uh, okay. Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?

(Leo and Caleb walk away.)

Piper: _Thank you._ (Prue looks confused.) Hey, you're just lucky nobody got killed, okay? You hear what I'm saying?

(Victor walks down the stairs and the girls stare at him.)

Victor: Well, would it be too much to ask for a hug?

(Phoebe gets up and hugs him.)

Phoebe: It's good to see you, Daddy.

Victor: Oh, baby, you have no idea. Wow, what a place. This is yours, Piper? It's terrific. The three of you together. I hardly know where to begin.

Prue: Well, I have a suggestion. How about we just cut to the chase?

Piper: Uh, Prue, he just got here. Can't that wait, like, five minutes?

Prue: He's a businessman, Piper. I would think that he would appreciate that. We can do the whole _family-bonding_ thing once the work is done, alright? So, how about you just tell us everything that you know about the playground?

Victor: What playground?

Phoebe: Dad, I had a premonition. I know you were there.

Piper: And somebody's hurt, so we kind of need to get back inside.

Victor: Oh, let it go.

Prue: That may be your motto, but we made a mistake, and we would really like to fix it. So just tell us how you got in, and we can handle it from there. We are _big_ witches now.

Victor: Yeah, but you're still my girls.

Prue: _Victor._

Victor: Prue. (Silence.) Alright. Yes, I was there. I went in after you, and it was the last thing I ever did as your father. You were home with a cold. You must've been about six. Your mom had some errands to run, so she took your sisters with her and left me home in charge of you.

[Flashback: Six-year-old Prue's room. She is asleep in bed. Victor pulls up the blankets and kisses her on the forehead.]

Victor: You had asked me to read you a story. You used to love that. But the cold was too much for you. You only lasted a page or two. When I left your room, you were still sleeping.

[Little Prue goes downstairs into the living room.]

Victor: I never heard you come downstairs. You must've been looking for a glass of water or... _me_. And that must've been when you heard it.

[Back to the present.]

Prue: The song.

Victor: I mean, I heard a truck drive by and stop a few doors down, but I didn't think anything of it. It was an ice cream truck. How was I to know? But somehow _you_ did. And you must've gone in the living room following that song. And that's when you saw it happen. A little boy, not much older than yourself.

Prue: Yeah. He was standing by the truck and something pulled him in. He was so scared.

Victor: And you ran out to help him.

Phoebe: Just like yesterday.

Victor: When I saw your bed empty, I lost my mind. The door was wide open, there was a truck parked outside. I mean, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I just had to go.

Piper: You saved Prue.

Victor: But I lost the three of you.

Phoebe: You said that you left because Grams wanted us to use our powers and you didn't.

Victor: That's the truth. And now you know the whole story. I mean, when your grandmother found out…. I had just brought Prue back, but being your father wasn't good enough. How could I protect you from something like _that_ happening again when I didn't have the powers?

Phoebe: Okay, so the Book said that the Ice Cream Man is mortal. That's why he can go through the door and we can't, right?

Piper: So, what do you say, Dad? We need your help.

[Time lapse. Prue and Piper are walking down the street with Phoebe and Victor walking behind them.]

Prue: You know, if this doesn't work, I can look back and pinpoint the exact moment where it all went wrong.

Piper: And that moment's name would be 'Dad'? Prue, you got to admit, if he can open the door, then we kinda need him.

Prue: It's all about word choice, Piper. We don't need him, we need his _utter lack_ of power, right? He opens the door, we save the day, we get on with our lives. It's a one-time group effort.

Piper: Glad to see you have a healthy handle on the situation, Prue.

Prue: I think I do.

[Cut to Phoebe and Victor.]

Phoebe: So, yeah, I was surprised to hear from you, but why did you think that I wouldn't write you back?

Victor: Because as far back as you can remember, I've done very little right by you. I mean, if a guy, let alone your own father, walks out on you once, maybe you give him a second chance, but if he appears to make a _habit_ of it.

.

Phoebe: I never thought you left by choice, Dad.

Victor: Thank you, Phoebe.

(They walk into an alley.)

Prue: Okay, well, this is it.

Piper: Uh, but there's nothing here.

Phoebe: Wait, we lost the truck?

(The demon kids stand behind them.)

Prue: Yeah, but we gained company.

(The demon girl blows them away. They laugh.)

Prue: Oh, those kids _so_ need to be _grounded_. (The kids run off.) Oh, I don't get it. Alright, why pick a fight and then run?

Piper: Speaking of running, we should run because they're getting away.

Prue: No, we can't do that, because we have to get back into the truck.

Phoebe: Not all of us. Come on, Piper.

(Phoebe and Piper run off.)

Victor: Nice work.

Prue: Alright, lost modes of transport are definitely not my forte. So….

Victor: Prue, sometimes things in life happen for a reason, no magic involved. Truck's been towed.

(They see a No Parking/Tow Away sign.)

Prue: Right.

(Ari watches them from nearby.)

[Cut to a junkyard. Victor and Prue are there. Prue's removing a chain from the gate.]

Victor: Need a hand?

Prue: No, I don't need a hand, I don't need _anything_. (They walk over to the truck.) This is where he pulled us in, but since he's still trapped inside, I'm guessing the only way in is through the exit. (She tries to open the door but it won't budge. She uses her power but it still doesn't open.) Ugh! Alright, let's just do this. You _can_ do it, right?

Victor: Well, let's just say that chasing demons is not exactly my day job.

Prue: Alright, it helps if you specifically focus on the task. Don't think about what's _behind_ the door, that'll only distract you. Picture yourself opening the door. See yourself opening the door, then just do it.

(Victor opens the door.)

Victor: Thanks for the advice.

Prue: Just doing my job. (They go inside the truck.) This would be a lot easier if things _stopped moving_. We left him right here. Unless….

Victor: The Nothing. Even mortals have memories, Prue. I saw what it did to those children. I know what it could've done to him and _to us_ if we don't act quickly.

Prue: Yeah, well, at least we agree upon one thing.

Ice Cream Man: Make that two and get out while you still can.

(The ice cream man is sitting near by.)

Prue: Oh my god. I am so sorry. I didn't know.

Ice Cream Man: The mistake was mine. You're the Charmed Ones. You were saving innocents. How could you know that they weren't?

Prue: How did you know?

Ice Cream Man: Let's just say we both have friends in high places. The moment I mistakenly pulled you and your sister in, I was alerted and sent to save you.

Prue: And you get this in return.

Victor: It's getting closer.

Prue: Alright, so you got us out of here once, now it's my turn.

(They help him stand up.)

Ice Cream Man: The children. You must get them back inside the playground.

Prue: We will, and you're gonna help us do it.

Ice Cream Man: I disabled the truck. You'll need to fix it, play the song.

Prue: Don't you dare. You stay with us.

Ice Cream Man: Inside…. (Prue pulls a small glass tube out of his shirt pocket.) It's for the truck.

Prue: It's almost here. You go first, okay?

Ice Cream Man: I can be replaced, you can't.

Prue: _No!_

(He pushes them away and the Nothing sucks him up.)

Victor: Prue, it'll be back. We've gotta get out now. You didn't fail! The only way you fail is if you don't get back and do what he asked. Come on.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Night Time. Sidewalk. Piper and Phoebe are there.]

Piper: Why don't they ever run into a well-lit room with nowhere to hide?

Phoebe: Well, we know they're somewhere, and I know what's gonna give them away.

Piper: How could you-?

Phoebe: _Shh!_

(They hear the demon kids laughing nearby and then see them.)

Ari: How badly did you wanna get off that playground? And now we're free. Don't you wanna _stay_ free?

Piper: Why do I get the feeling these kids weren't looking to pick a fight with the Charmed Ones? They were just looking for the truck and we crashed their party.

Phoebe: But we're like a mile ahead. I mean, we know where it is.

Ari: It's in the junkyard.

Phoebe: Oh. Did I say a mile?

Piper: Okay, so they know, but it's three of us versus three of them. We're even, and _bigger_.

(More demon kids walk up to Ari and the other two.)

Phoebe: Uh, sis, I think you need to count again. When in doubt…

Piper: Bring reinforcements.

Ari: All's that left for us to do is destroy the truck.

Piper: Prue.

Phoebe: And Dad. Let's go.

[Cut to the junkyard. Phoebe and Piper walk in.]

Piper: Do you think they're here already?

Phoebe: Probably.

Piper: Do you think they know that _we're_ here already?

Phoebe: Probably.

(The kids laugh in the background.)

Piper: Okay, do they do that because they think it's _funny_ , or just to _freak us out_?

Phoebe: All we have to do is hold off the demons until Dad and Prue get out.

Piper: You haven't by any chance had a premonition that this is all going to turn out okay and you've just neglected to inform your kin?

(A demon kid scratches their fingernails along a car.)

Phoebe: Okay, I think they're surrounding us.

Piper: No, don't say that. We're not surrounded until they're all around of us.

Phoebe: Okay, how bad could the odds be? I mean, sure there's a whole bunch of them, but we're witches, right? And you have the power to- (A demon kid throws a car part at Piper and hits her in the head, knocking her unconscious.) Piper! Are you okay?

(She sits Piper up against a car.)

Phoebe: Alright, you little brats. Bring it on.

[Cut back into the truck.]

Prue: Head for the slide. Up at the top. That's our way out.

(Prue starts to get sucked up by the Nothing.]

Prue: Aah! Daddy!

Victor: Hold on, Prue!

(Victor grabs Prue's arms.)

Prue: Daddy, I need you.

Victor: I've got you. I'm not leaving without you.

Prue: Dad!

Victor: I've got you. Oh god.

(He pulls her in.)

[Cut back to the junkyard. The kids surround Phoebe. A demon boy jumps on Phoebe's back and she throws him into the other kids, knocking them to the ground. The demon girl blows Phoebe away. They laugh and walk over to her. Prue and Victor get out of the truck and Prue uses her power on the kids.]

Prue: (to Victor) Alright, any ideas what to do with this?

(Prue hands him the glass tube.)

Victor: Eight years of fixing your mother's car has given me one.

Prue: Alright, we'll buy you some time. (Prue helps Phoebe up.) Hey, need a hand?

Phoebe: I need about ten.

(The girl stands up.)

Prue: Oh, you need a little time out, missy! (Prue uses her power on the demon girl. Victor opens up the bonnet of the truck and looks for a place to put the glass tube. A flame flies out of the demon boy's hand, heading for Prue and Phoebe. They jump behind a car.) Oh, Dad, _hurry_!

(Ari walks up to Victor and Prue uses her power on him. Prue and Victor look at each other. Victor puts the tube in its place. The music starts playing and the kids walk over to the truck. They get sucked into the truck. Piper regains consciousness and Phoebe goes over to her.)

Phoebe: Welcome to our world, Dad.

Piper: When I decide I wanna have kids, you remind me of this day.

(Leo and Caleb walk into the junkyard.)

Piper: Leo, what are you doing here? Why did you bring _him_ here?

Leo: He's supposed to be here, Piper.

Caleb: You fixed my wheels. Thanks.

Leo: Caleb's the new Ice Cream Man. He filled me in back at the club. Everything's happened the way it was meant to. He was sent here to take over. It's his time.

Piper: So your interest in me….?

Caleb: _Strictly_ professional. I was lost, but until I was sure who you were, I couldn't just come up and say, 'Hey, are you a Charmed One? 'Cause I need you to take me to my demon-catching truck.' Speaking of which, I'm running kind of late as it is, so, uh, thank you. All of you.

Leo: Good luck.

(Caleb gets in the truck.)

Phoebe: Something tells me I'm never gonna look at a Creamsicle quite the same way.

Prue: Hmm.

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Victor's ready to leave.]

Victor: Well, I guess this is goodbye again.

(Phoebe hugs him.)

Phoebe: Thanks, Dad. Keep writing.

Victor: You don't have to keep secrets anymore, Phoebe.

Phoebe: I know.

(He kisses her forehead. He walks over to Piper and hugs her.)

Victor: What's the story with this Leo character anyway? How much does he know about you?

Piper: Uh, just about everything.

Victor: _Oh_ , so he's-

Piper: He's a wonderful man, yes.

Victor: Well, still I think I should have a little chat with him sometime.

Piper: Dad….

Victor: It's a father's prerogative.

(He walks over to Prue.)

Prue: I'm not saying goodbye.

Piper/Phoebe: Prue!

Prue: I'm _saying_ see you soon, Dad.

(She hugs him.)

Victor: Thank you. You know, that's sort of why I came to town. For this job interview, and although it would entail some travel, I'd be based here in San Francisco, and if you guys think that occasionally this town is big enough for the four of us, I'd like to accept their offer.

Piper: Hmm.

Victor: Could I except that as a yes?

Prue: _Yes._

(A horn honks outside.)

Victor: That's my cab. Alright. (He grabs his stuff) We've got so much catching up to do.

Piper: It's okay. It's different now.

Victor: It is, isn't it? See you soon.

(He leaves.)


	11. Blinded by the Whitelighter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Blinded by the Whitelighter**

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper and Phoebe are making a potion.]

Piper: One teaspoon of baking powder.

Phoebe: One teaspoon bat guano. _Ooh-hoo_. It's starting to _bubble_.

Piper: And _stink_. Couldn't you have made that potion after breakfast?

Phoebe: No, I'm sorry, but Prue has a meeting with that D.A. Investigator, and I didn't want her to go there unarmed.

(Leo walks in.)

Leo: Morning. Whoa, what is that smell?

Phoebe: That would be the lovely smell of Piper's breakfast.

Piper: Hope you're hungry.

Leo: Uh, starving.

Piper: Probably 'cause you missed dinner last night.

Leo: Piper, I already said I was sorry I was late, okay. It's not like I was out _carousing with the boys_. I was out being a force of good in the universe.

Piper: A true force of good would have _called_ , or at least orbed.

Leo: I... couldn't. Not under the circumstances.

Piper: Which were?

Leo: _Work_ related, which means I can't talk about it. I mean, anything that happens between me and a charge is confidential. You know that.

Piper: Doesn't mean I have to like it. (Piper cuts her finger with a knife.) _Ow!_

Leo: Oh, let me see that.

(Leo heals her finger.)

Piper: You know, this all for the good of mankind stuff really puts me in an awful position. I have no choice but to be _understanding_.

Leo: You just have to accept that you're engaged to somebody that works for the CIA.

Piper: _Oh._

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Wait, you work for the CIA?

..

Piper: Do you want something to eat before your meeting with Reece?

Prue: Not hungry, too nervous.

(Phoebe hands Prue a vial of potion.)

Phoebe: Alright, well, this will help you with your nerves. Just a _drop_ in Reece's coffee, and it will out any demon. Reaction will cause his throat to constrict. As he's choking, you run, got it?

Prue: Thanks. I hadn't even considered that Reece might be evil.

Phoebe: Then why are you so nervous?

Prue: Uh, because he's probing Cole's disappearance. I'm not exactly looking forward to being grilled about my demon ex, you know?

Phoebe: Well, as long as you don't blurt out, 'I killed Cole', you'll be fine.

Leo: Why don't you practice saying, 'As far as I know, Cole is alive and well and could be anywhere." See how it feels.

Prue: Okay, uh, 'As far as I know, Cole is alive and well and could be anywhere.'

Piper: Very believable.

Phoebe: Yeah, try not to look as guilty as you did just now. You'll give yourself away.

Prue: I just can't wait for this investigation to be over.

Piper: It will soon. It has to. There's nothing to find.

Phoebe: Is there?

Prue: Of course not.

Phoebe: Be careful.

[Scene: An alley. A witch runs from a warlock. The warlock runs after her. He throws a fireball at her and she reflects it with her power.]

Witch: You can't hurt me. I can deflect your power.

Warlock: _All of them?_

(He throws another fireball and she deflects it. It hits him and vanquishes him.)

Witch: Thank god.

(He blinks in behind her and grabs her. He holds a dagger against her neck.)

Warlock: You know, the ability to clone myself is just one of the powers that I've collected over my years of killing witches. And now, I'm about to whack one more. (He stabs her with the dagger and takes her power. She falls to the ground. Natalie, her Whitelighter, orbs in. She runs over to her.) You're too late, Whitelighter. Your charge is dead. I'll see _you_ later.

(He blinks out of the alley.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Dining room. Piper and Leo are sitting at the table having breakfast.]

Piper: So I've got lunch with this guy from the Chronicle who wants to do a story on the club, and then I've got a meeting with these dot com startup guys that want to do an internet thingy. What are you doing today?

Leo: You know, just... the usual.

Piper: Care to elaborate?

Leo: Piper….

Piper: Oh, come on. Just a few _details_ , a tidbit.

Leo: It's against the rules.

Piper: Rules. Yes, see, this is my problem. Every time I turn around, we seem to be violating some stupid Whitelighter ordinance.

Leo: We just have to be careful as long as we're under probation.

Piper: Which is _never_ ending. I don't know, Leo. I don't think they're ever gonna let us get married.

Leo: They will. They _have_ to. _Nothing_ is gonna keep us apart. I promise.

(They move in to kiss but Natalie orbs in, interrupting them.)

Piper: Aah!

Leo: _Natalie!_

Natalie: Leo. Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a major problem on our hands.

(Natalie is holding an athame. Phoebe walks in.)

Phoebe: Hey, I heard something…. Ooh! _Athame! Athame!_

(Prue gets ready to attack Natalie but Leo stops her.)

Leo: No, no, no. It's okay. She's a Whitelighter. Natalie and I go way back. We were rookies together. Actually, we fought together in World War II.

Natalie: All your charges need to know is I'm a Whitelighter. This is not a social call. I've come to warn the Charmed Ones that a warlock just killed my most powerful charge with this athame.

Leo: Oh, I'm so sorry.

Natalie: Thank you. The real tragedy is that it didn't have to happen. I warned her to lay low, and she didn't listen. She always refused to let her magic interfere with her life, and now a warlock has her power of deflection.

Piper: Deflection. Wait a minute, does that mean he could deflect our powers?

Natalie: Yes, which is why all Whitelighters have been put on alert.

Leo: We have? Why didn't I hear about this?

Natalie: Because you _missed_ this morning's staff meeting.

Piper: You have _staff meetings_?

Natalie: With _mandatory_ attendance.

Leo: _Unless_ a charge is in need, which Piper was. I had to heal her.

(Piper holds up her finger.)

Piper: Right.

Natalie: I'll assume a _demon_ attacked her finger, since healing is _restricted_ to such circumstances.

Leo: I believe the Charmed Ones deserve special attention.

Natalie: I've heard rumors about such... _special_ attention, and honestly, Leo.

(Natalie and Leo start talking to each other in their clickety-clack language.)

Phoebe: Whitelighter-ese?

Natalie: (clickety-clack) Piper (clicky-clack)

Piper: Well, I guess we know what they're talking about.

Phoebe: Alright, you guys can (does the sound) all you want. Me, I'm gonna look in the Book of Shadows, okay?

Natalie: I'll go with you. I gotta look at the warlock. I might be able to identify him.

Phoebe: Oh, alright. Well, it's up in the attic.

Natalie: Attic? You mean the _altar room_ , don't you? The rules are _very_ clear. Every witch must keep their Book of Shadows in a sacred and protected spot.

Phoebe: Right, of course.

Leo: Maybe you can bring the Book down here?

Phoebe: Yeah, yeah. I'll just run up to the _altar room_ , which by the way, is right next to the _potions lab_ , and I'll be right back.

(She leaves the room. Leo picks up a piece of fruit. Natalie click-clacks at him.)

Leo: Not supposed to eat on the job.

[Scene: A diner. Prue and Reece are sitting at a table.]

Reece: You sure you don't want something to eat?

Prue: No, I'm fine. Uh, actually, I would like a bagel also. Thanks.

(He turns his back to Prue to talk to a waitress.)

Reece: Uh, excuse me, miss. Can we have another bagel? (Prue quickly pours some potion in his coffee. Reece turns back to face Prue.) This is a nice place. It's crowded. I guess that's why you picked it. That makes me think you're afraid of something. (Reece takes a sip of his coffee and coughs.) Allergies. So, so are you?

Prue: Am I what?

Reece: Afraid.

Prue: Afraid of _Cole_? No. Why should I be?

Reece: Well, several reasons. Not the least of which is he's a fraud, or a man who exists only on paper. Wormed his way into the DA office for reasons unknown, and who apparently has a _very_ dark side. (He shows her some photos of Cole's altar.) We found blood stains on his carpet and a hidden cabinet full of occult paraphernalia. Now, you're telling me you don't know anything about this?

Prue: No…. I mean, _yes_. I don't know about anything about this.

Reece: Look, Miss Halliwell. See, I think you know more than you're letting on, but you're scared. You're afraid that if I find out the truth, you're gonna get in trouble. Am I right?

Prue: I wish that I could help you, but I can't. I'm sorry. I really am.

(She stands up.)

Reece: Uh, listen. Cole's the kind of man who knows how to cover his tracks, okay? If he's alive and you know something, he could hurt you. He could hurt your sisters, too.

(Prue leaves.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Piper and Phoebe are sitting on the couch reading the Book of Shadows. Leo and Natalie are standing near by.]

Phoebe: 'The power of deflection is a witch's best shield against the forces of darkness.'

Piper: Unless the forces of darkness already have it, in which case, it's the great shield against us.

Phoebe: Alright, how did he get close enough to get it from such a powerful witch?

Piper: Maybe he wasn't working alone.

Leo: Or maybe he possesses the power of…

Natalie: Cloning. I was just thinking the same thing.

Leo: The ability to duplicate oneself, but…

Natalie: It can't be sustained for long periods of time.

Piper: That's cute, how you guys finish each other's sentences.

Natalie: Happens when you work with someone for as long as we have.

Piper: I see that.

Leo: Maybe we should check the Book. See if the warlock stole the cloning power too.

Phoebe: Alright, cross-reference cloning with warlock. (Phoebe flips through the pages of the Book of Shadows.)

Natalie: That's him. (Natalie points at a page about a warlock named Eames and they all look at it.)

Phoebe: A warlock named Eames. Seems that, uh, ten years ago, he murdered a witch in Glasgow and stole her power of cloning. Cloning and deflection are not his only tricks. It says here that Eames also killed a witch in Kenya in '89 and took the power of... _transmogrification_.

Piper: Trans-what?

Leo/Natalie: The ability to change shape or form.

Phoebe: Okay, so, uh, what's his master plan?

Natalie: What makes you think he has one?

Phoebe: Well, the time and geography between kills suggest that he was hunting these particular witches, right? It's not sport, it's strategy.

Piper: So all we have to do to catch him is to figure out what that plan is and then beat him to the punch.

Phoebe: Right, or we can try and take him out first before he even has a chance.

Natalie: Leo, we should discuss the best way to approach this situation. (to Prue and Piper) I mean, in private, if you wouldn't mind going into another room, please.

Piper: Or how about this idea?

(Piper freezes Natalie. Phoebe grins.)

Phoebe: Hmm!

Leo: Piper, what are you doing?

Piper: Getting _irritated_. Who put _Lady Attitude_ in charge?

Leo: She's not in charge.

Piper: Really? 'Cause she's acting like it. I thought Whitelighters were supposed to _guide_ , not dictate.

Leo: She is just trying to help.

Phoebe: By what? Slowing us down and second-guessing us?

Leo: Introducing the concept of caution and organization into the manor isn't a bad idea. Natalie's considered one of the top Whitelighters up there.

Piper: Oh, I bet _they_ love her. She's never met a rule she didn't like.

Phoebe: Leo, we already _have_ a Whitelighter. Besides, I don't really like anybody who doesn't trust us.

Leo: You've misread her. Natalie is cautious because she just lost a charge and she's worried the same thing is gonna happen to you. You can't question her heart.

Piper: Okay, how about everything else?

Leo: I'll... talk to her. Now please, would you unfreeze her?

Piper: Sure. (Piper walks past Natalie and unfreezes her.) There you go.

(Piper walks into the kitchen.)

Natalie: Wait a minute, what's... going on?

Leo: I gotta go talk to Piper.

Natalie: _Leo._

Leo: I'll be right back.

(Leo goes in the kitchen.)

Phoebe: Piper froze ya.

Natalie: She-she what?

Phoebe: _Yep._

(Phoebe grins.)

[Cut to the kitchen.]

Leo: Hey, you want to freeze me in bed for your own personal pleasure, that is fine, but freezing Natalie is not gonna make her _or_ the Elders happy.

Piper: Well, I'm sorry, but how do you think I feel listening to you two _clickety-clack_ about work when you don't tell _me_ anything? I mean, she clearly knows things about you that I don't.

Leo: She's an old friend.

Piper: Well, _obviously_.

Leo: Come on, you're not jealous, are you? Because there is _nothing_ -

Piper: Leo, I'm not jealous of _her_. I'm jealous of the part of your life that she gets to share with you that I don't. You know, like where you go all day, who your other charges are, what it's like _up there_.

Leo: I've taken you up there before!

Piper: _Once_ , and I don't even get to _remember_ it. It's just more rules, more stupid rules that _exclude me_ , unlike you and _Natalie_ , who literally speak the _same language_ with each other.

Leo: It is just boring shop talk.

Piper: It's _secrets_ , and if there's one thing that I've learned as a Halliwell, you don't keep secrets from the people you love.

(Prue walks in through the back door.)

Prue: Hi. Am I interrupting something?

Piper: Yes./Leo: No.

Piper: How did your thing go with the investigator?

Prue: Uh, fine. At least he's not a demon. Leo, can I talk to you about something? Soon?

Piper: _Take a number_.

Leo: Maybe later, okay? Why don't you go meet Natalie?

Prue: Who's Natalie?

Piper: She's a-

Leo: Fellow Whitelighter. See? I finished your sentence.

Piper: Hmm. That's not what I was gonna say.

[Cut back to the conservatory. Phoebe's scrying with a crystal.]

Natalie: You're wasting your time. You can't scry for warlocks.

Phoebe: I'm not. I'm scrying for a witch. I'm focusing the crystal on your charge's power, which _technically_ is still alive.

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Hi. You must be, uh-

Phoebe: _Oh!_ (The crystal points to a spot on the map.) Okay, here we go, I think I found Eames. Uh, Industrial District south of San Francisco.

Prue: A warlock? What's going on?

Phoebe: We'll fill you in on the way. Piper! Leo!

Natalie: Wait, you're not going after him, are you?

Prue: Yeah, that would be the idea.

Natalie: You're not prepared, you're not-

(Phoebe touches the dagger and has a premonition of Eames killing a man.)

Prue: What did you see?

Phoebe: A warlock, I think. Killing a male witch.

Prue: Not if we can help it. (Piper and Leo walk in.) It's three against one. We should be able to counter his power of deflection.

Leo: But he can also clone himself.

Prue: So then it's three against two. Still, the odds are on our side. Plus, we'll have the element of surprise.

Natalie: People, _we're under an alert_. You can't go running off half-cocked.

Prue: _People?_

Natalie: You must consult the Elders, find out what they know, what _they_ want you to do.

Piper: And how long will that take? Long enough to lose another witch's life?

Natalie: Better one than four. You wondered what Eames' ultimate goal was? What if it's to kill the Charmed Ones? Think of the damage he could do with all of your powers.

Prue: Alright, Natalie's right. We should definitely check with the Elders first. Do it quickly.

Natalie: I'll be back as soon as possible.

(Natalie orbs out.)

Phoebe: So what, we're supposed to just wait?

Prue: _No!_ I had to say something to get rid of her.

Leo: Didn't you hear what she said? Consulting with the Elders is for your own protection.

Piper: And siding with _us_ is for yours.

Prue: Hmm!

[Scene: An alley.]

Eames: _Ixo Mende Layto Sempar. Ixo Mende Layto Sempar._

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe pull up in the car. They get out of the car. Prue uses her power on Eames. He gets back up.]

Prue: Oh, Piper, freeze him.

(Piper tries to freeze Eames but he deflects it.)

Piper: He deflected it. (Eames disappears.) What happened? Where'd he go?

Leo: I don't think that was Eames. I think that was his clone.

Phoebe: Alright, well, the real Eames must be around here someplace.

Piper: Okay, maybe we should get out of here.

Prue: No, no, no. What about the witch in Phoebe's premonition? We can't just leave him.

Piper: I was afraid you were gonna say that.

Prue: What did he look like?

Phoebe: Oh, I don't know. Kinda balding. (A Darklighter dark orbs in.) Sort of like that.

Darklighter: Who are you? Why'd you summon me?

Leo: That's no witch. That's... (A crossbow appears in his hand.) a Darklighter.

Piper: _Leo!_ Leo, get out of here! (The Darklighter shoots an arrow at Leo but Leo orbs out. Phoebe kicks the crossbow out of his hand and kicks him. Piper freezes him.) Okay, I don't understand. Why is there a Darklighter here?

(Eames blinks in.)

Eames: Oh, did I miss all the fun? (Eames sets the Darklighter on fire. He blinks in front of the crossbow.) No, wait, I _am_ the fun. Thanks for this.

(He picks up the crossbow and blinks out of the alley.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in. Leo is there waiting.]

Leo: Did you get the Darklighter?

Piper: No, but Eames did.

Leo: _Eames_? A warlock killed a Darklighter?

Phoebe: And took his crossbow.

Leo: Well, that doesn't make any sense. They both play for team evil.

Prue: Yeah, what I don't get is why Eames had no interest in attacking us.

Phoebe: Maybe he knew he was outnumbered.

Prue: No, he didn't really seem overly concerned. In fact, he seemed _cocky_.

(Natalie orbs in.)

Natalie: Good, you're still here.

Piper: Speaking of _cocky_.

Natalie: I consulted the Elders and they want you to hold back. They think the witch Phoebe saw might be a force of darkness.

Prue: A Darklighter actually.

Natalie: How do you know?

Piper: We went, we saw, we didn't quite conquer.

Natalie: You what? Leo, how could you let this happen?

Prue: This wasn't Leo's decision. It was ours.

Natalie: You'll take responsibility for a decision, but not for your lives? That warlock could have killed you.

Piper: He wasn't after us.

Natalie: That makes you lucky, not smart. You were reckless. As the Charmed Ones, you have an obligation to serve the greater good. You have a higher calling.

(The Whitelighters call Leo and Natalie.)

Leo: So do we.

Natalie: I think we better both go up this time.

Leo: Better lay low until we get back.

(Leo and Natalie hold hands and orb out.)

Piper: What's with the hand holding thing?

Phoebe: That's the least of our problems. We have to concentrate on finding and vanquishing Eames.

Prue: Yeah, and we can't count on scrying to locate him because it just could be his clone again.

Piper: I still think we need to decode his master plan and then that way we can figure him out.

Prue: I'll take book duty.

Phoebe: I'll do a flow chart, see where all this is leading.

Piper: I'll help. Anything to get rid of her.

Phoebe: You mean him.

Piper: _Nah_ , I mean _her_.

(Prue walks into the conservatory and sits down at the table. She flips through the Book of Shadows and stops at the page about Belthazor.)

Prue: What am I gonna do about you?

[Cut to a white misty place. There are a bunch of Whitelighters standing around in white robes. Leo is there wearing jeans and a shirt. Natalie walks up to him wearing the robe.]

Natalie: I've never seen the Elders like this before. They're worried about what Eames is up to. Aren't you gonna change into your robes? The rules say-

Leo: I know the rules. I find my jeans more comfortable.

Natalie: That attitude scares me, Leo. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't tell you how concerned I am about the situation at the manor.

Leo: You haven't seen the Charmed Ones at their best. Trust me, they're talented witches.

Natalie: They're also sloppy, untrained, emotional…

Leo: And undisciplined, I know. That's part of what makes them great. They don't work by rote. They work on instinct, on _passion_.

Natalie: I'm all for instinct and passion, but they're too impulsive. They lead with their hearts, not their heads, and they're not the only ones.

Leo: You think I do too?

Natalie: I think it's clear that you love them.

Leo: Every Whitelighter loves their charges.

Natalie: Not the way that you do. Your feelings are clouding your ability to see their weaknesses.

Leo: Weaknesses? I think their record speaks for itself. They took out Belthazor, who took out the Triad.

Natalie: But Belthazor is a perfect example. He never should have gotten that close to them. I can't help but to think that your relationship with Piper-

Leo: Is none of your business.

Natalie: Actually, Leo, it _is_ my business. The Elders want to know whether or not I think it's getting in the way of your job.

(Prue calls Leo from below.)

Leo: That's Prue. Rules say a charge's call takes precedent.

(He orbs out.)

[Cut to Prue's bedroom.]

Prue: _Leo!_

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: Sorry, Prue, I forgot that you needed to talk. What's up?

Prue: Okay, just so I'm clear, this is confidential, right? I mean, anything that I'm about to say to you just stays between me and you?

Leo: Absolutely.

Prue: And they don't get to know? And they're not... _eavesdropping_ or anything right now?

Leo: Prue, what is it?

Prue: You need to sit. (She sits him on her bed and she sits beside him.) Okay, here goes. Leo, Cole is alive.

Leo: What?

Prue: Cole... Belthazor. I didn't really vanquish him. I _know_. I _know_ it's horrible, and I've barely been able to live with Piper and Phoebe ever since, but I just _couldn't_ tell them.

Leo: Prue….

Prue: I _couldn't_ kill him, Leo. I had _every intention_ of doing it, but when I got there and I was face-to-face with him, I just…. I couldn't kill him, and I knew that my sisters were going to.

Leo: So you faked his death?

Prue: _I didn't have a choice._ Leo, I knew in my heart that he would never try and hurt us. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let him go. You have to believe me. All I know... is that I loved Cole. And if anyone understands forbidden love it's you, isn't it?

Leo: Oh my god, Prue! It's not even _close_ to being the same thing! He is a _demon_!

Prue: _He's half-human!_

Leo: For god sakes, he's a _killer_! He has killed witches and innocents and anything else that has gotten in his way. What is the matter with you? What makes you think that he is not gonna come back here right now and try and kill all three of you?

Prue: He won't. I know he's good.

Leo: No, you _hope_ that he's good. You _want him_ to be good. Why did you even tell me this?

Prue: I don't know, Leo. I was sort of counting on you for your guidance and support.

Leo: Well, it's my _guidance_ and _support_ that got you into this mess. You know, I don't even know how to begin to fix this.

(Leo walks out of her room and doubles over in pain. He groans.)

Prue: Leo? Leo, what's the matter?

(She goes over to him.)

Leo: I don't know. Feels like a witch is being hurt. I can feel her pain.

Prue: Is it one of your charges?

Leo: No.

(Piper and Phoebe walk in.)

Piper: What happened?

Leo: She needs help.

[Cut to a park. Eames has just stabbed a witch.]

Eames: Of course I could have killed you, but it's not your powers I'm after. I've set my sights a little higher. I'm looking for a few good Whitelighters. Well, actually, just one. That's all I'm missing now. And yours'll do just fine.

[Cut back to the manor.]

Piper: Why isn't her Whitelighter helping her?

Leo: I don't know, but I have to go to her.

(Leo starts to orb out.)

Prue: No, Leo, wait. I just realized…. How could we have missed it? The only reason Eames would have killed a Darklighter is so that he can use the crossbow to kill a Whitelighter.

(Natalie orbs in.)

Natalie: She's right, Leo, it's a trap.

Leo: I don't understand. Why would he even want to kill a Whitelighter?

Natalie: To gain the power to orb up there, the only way in. Once there, he'd be able to decimate _all_ Whitelighters.

Phoebe: And that would leave all their charges unprotected. He would be able to wipe out all witches everywhere, including us.

Prue: Sounds like a master plan to me.

Natalie: The Elders have instituted a lockdown and recalled all Whitelighters from Earth. Leo and I are the only ones who have retained the power to orb so that we can help you stop Eames.

Leo: Must be why I feel her pain. If you could only feel it.

Natalie: I feel it, but I won't be ruled by it. A Whitelighter who's controlled by his emotions is useless. The greater good must come first.

[Cut back to the park. The witch is lying on the ground in pain. Eames is nearby waiting.]

Eames: Well, this is boring. What kind of lame Whitelighter do you have?

Witch: They must be onto you now.

Eames: I think you're right. Which means what? They'll send _witches_ to try and stop me? Well, if witches come, their Whitelighter can't be far behind? After ten years of chasing a dream, the dream starts chasing me. Of course, you know there is a down side. I no longer have any use for you.

(He stabs her again.)

[Cut back to the manor. Leo stumbles down the stairs.]

Piper: Leo!

Natalie: Leo, what is it?

Leo: He killed her.

Prue: What does your rule book say to do now?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there. Phoebe's making some coffee.]

Phoebe: I can't believe Natalie just let her die like that. We should have done something.

Piper: Like what?

Phoebe: I don't know. _Something._

Prue: Yeah, but we need to figure out a way to stop Eames before he kills again. We should be working on a vanquishing spell.

Phoebe: It's gonna be a tricky spell, though. We have to counteract a lot of powers.

Piper: Plus, we need to do it fast, cause I don't like my boyfriend being one of the only two targets on Earth.

(The girls walk into the living room where Leo and Natalie are.)

Piper: We'd like to speak to Leo in private. So if you wouldn't mind going into another room?

Natalie: If it's work related, you can discuss it with me.

Prue: What do you mean?

Piper: Leo?

Leo: I asked Natalie to take over as your Whitelighter and she accepted.

Piper: What are you talking about?

Leo: Piper, nothing is more important to me than your safety, and my being here is putting all of your lives at risk.

Prue: Leo, you have done nothing but protect us.

Leo: You saw what happened upstairs. I would have rushed off to help that witch if you hadn't stopped me. Now I am supposed to be guiding _you_ and _you_ are guiding _me_.

Prue: Leo, we all make mistakes.

Leo: We can't afford to make them now.

Prue: Leo, if this is because of me….

(Piper and Phoebe look at her, confused.)

Leo: It _isn't_ , Prue. It's because of me. Maybe Natalie's right. Maybe my feelings for you are clouding my ability to guide you, I don't know. But all I do know is that this is no time for self-doubt, not with Eames out there. (Leo walks over to Piper.) Piper, they want me to join in the lockdown. Until I return, I want you to do as Natalie asks. It's important for us.

(Leo and Piper kiss and he orbs out. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe stare at Natalie.)

Natalie: I suggest that you channel your anger toward the warlock you're meant to vanquish. Now, first-

Prue: Okay, could we just have a moment to process this, please?

Natalie: No. It's time you stopped focusing on yourselves and started focusing on Eames. You must prepare yourselves for battle. Mentally, physically, _sartorially_.

Phoebe: I'm sorry, _what_?

Piper: She doesn't like our clothes.

Natalie: You need outfits that are _loose_ and _move_. That means no more braless, strapless, _fearless_ attire.

Prue: Okay, but then I have _nothing_ to wear.

[Cut to an alley. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are stretching. Natalie's also stretching in front of them.]

Prue: Okay, tell me again why we're doing this?

Piper: Because one bad word from General Goody-Two-Shoes, and I'm not getting married.

Prue: That's a good reason, I guess.

(Natalie turns to face the girls.)

Natalie: Alright, let's get going. Defeating Eames will require split-second timing and _flawless_ teamwork. I can't tell you what you'll be doing, but I can tell you what you _won't_. You won't be _winging_ it. You won't be _hoping for the best_. The will to win is the will to _prepare_ to win. Do you understand me?

Piper: Uh-huh.

Phoebe: I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that last platitude.

Natalie: You think you're so tough because you took out Belthazor, don't you? Let me tell you something. You're only as good as your _next_ vanquish. This alley is a neutral battlefield. Our challenge is to fight Eames. Our primary goal is….?

Piper: To win!

Natalie: _No._

Piper: No.

Natalie: To get the crossbow. (She picks up a piece of wood.) A Darklighter's crossbow delivers arrows dipped in a poison that is _lethal_ to Whitelighters. Get the crossbow, and the immediate threat is over. If you have the opportunity to _vanquish_ Eames, by all means _seize_ it. But keep your eyes on the prize. Alright, now let's pretend I'm the enemy.

Prue: Oh, that is way too easy.

(Phoebe claps her hands and Piper laughs.)

Natalie: Very funny. Now talk me through how you plan to separate me from my crossbow.

Piper: Okay, first, I freeze you.

Natalie: I deflect that.

Phoebe: I guess I could levitate and kick you.

Natalie: You just kicked a clone.

Prue: Alright, how about I send in an astral Prue as a decoy and just, you know…. (Prue uses her power and the piece of wood flies out of Natalie's hands.) Oh, I'm so sorry.

(Phoebe laughs.)

Natalie: Not as sorry as you would be if I just blinked behind you and stabbed you to death.

Prue: Well, that would be bad.

Piper: Ouch.

Phoebe: Alright, you know what? This is too hard. Usually in these situations, you know, everything happens so quickly, the adrenaline is pumping.

Natalie: I want you to think using your _brains_ , not your glands. Now try again.

[Time lapse. Prue runs up a wall and flips over. Natalie taps her on the shoulder and she turns around. Phoebe levitates and Natalie spins her around in the air. She falls to the ground. Piper freezes energy balls Natalie throws at her. She misses some and they shock her.]

[Cut to P3. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are sitting at the bar writing a spell. Natalie is sitting at a table nearby.]

Phoebe: Hey, if we don't vanquish Eames, can we at least vanquish Natalie?

Piper: _Don't_ tempt me.

Prue: Alright, I've got the cloning portion of the vanquishing spell done.

Piper: I'm almost there with the transmogrification.

Phoebe: Mine came out a little country western. 'I'm rejectin' your deflection.'

Piper: Well, it works for me, but you have to get it past you-know-who.

Phoebe: You know, Leo never had to approve our spells. He trusted us.

Prue: Yeah, but she said that she needs to hear it.

Phoebe: You know what? What she needs none of us can give her, alright?

Prue: Alright, still, but personal feelings aside, you kinda have to admire her professionally, you know? She's very dedicated.

Piper: Yeah, but she's not Leo.

(Natalie walks over to them.)

Natalie: How's that spell coming along?

Phoebe: Great. All done.

Natalie: Good.

Phoebe: Here you go.

(Phoebe hands her a piece of paper and she reads it.)

Natalie: Okay, let's nail this warlock.

Prue: Alright, I'll start scrying for his location.

Natalie: No need. I've been working on a new plan, one that would allow us to fight on our turf, not his.

Piper: Make him come to us? How?

Natalie: What he wants is what you've got.

Prue: You're gonna use yourself as bait.

Natalie: If I orb in somewhere unprotected, Eames should be able to track me with his Darklighter powers. With the three of you in position, as soon as Eames shows up, I orb out. The advantage is all ours.

Piper: No. We can't let you do that. It's too dangerous.

Natalie: I appreciate your concern.

Piper: My concern is not for you. At least not just for you. My concern is if we fail-

Natalie: We won't fail. I've gone over every permutation. So long as we follow the rules, we'll succeed.

[Scene: Park. The dead witch is still laying there. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are hiding behind some bushes. Natalie orbs in. Eames blinks in.]

Natalie: Now!

(Eames tries to shoot Natalie with the crossbow but she orbs out. Prue uses her power to knock the bow out of his hands. Eames disappears.)

Phoebe: Clone!

Prue: Alright, be ready with the spell. He could be anywhere. Get the crossbow.

(Piper picks up the crossbow.)

Phoebe: Wait, where is he? Why isn't he fighting back?

Piper: Maybe because we got the crossbow?

Prue: No. Something doesn't feel right. This was way too easy.

Phoebe: And even worse, anticlimactic.

Piper: Well, who cares? We got the crossbow. Let's go.

(They leave.)

[Cut to the manor. Natalie is waiting in the foyer. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in.]

Natalie: Did you get it?

Piper: We got it.

(Piper hands Natalie the crossbow.)

Prue: Yeah, but we didn't get Eames.

Natalie: That's alright. He wasn't our primary goal. You've done well.

Prue: I don't know. I think he gave up too easily.

Natalie: Maybe you were just prepared and he wasn't. It was our setting, our timing, our plan to execute.

Phoebe: Yeah, but we didn't get a chance to execute it.

Natalie: We got what we wanted and no one got hurt. This is what happens when Whitelighters and witches work hard together. And thanks to you, they'll get a chance to do a lot more of it. I'll bring this up there.

Piper: Uh, does that mean Leo gets to come back?

Natalie: That's not my call. I'll see you later. (pause) So... Eames didn't fight _at all_?

Prue: Not at all. I flung, he fled.

Natalie: Did you wait for him? Look for him?

Phoebe: No, we were playing by the rules.

Piper: And we grabbed the crossbow, just like you said.

Natalie: The crossbow….

(The crossbow changes into Eames. He grabs Natalie. Prue uses her power on him and he deflects it, sending her flying. Piper tries to freeze him and he deflects it, sending her to the floor.)

Eames: She was right. Way too easy.

(He stabs Natalie with an arrow.)

Piper: No!

(He blinks out of the room with Natalie.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there.]

Piper: We _followed_ the stupid rules and look what happened.

Phoebe: _I hate rules._

Prue: I knew something was wrong. Why didn't I trust my instincts?

Piper: None of us did, but I am going to now. _Leo!_

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: _Leo!_

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Okay, look, we-we did everything she asked. I _swear_.

Leo: I know. I was watching. I wasn't supposed to, but enough said.

Phoebe: We're _through_ playing by the rules, you know.

Prue: Alright, now we need to stop Eames.

Leo: Well, I know from experience Darklighter poison doesn't kill immediately, so there's still a window of opportunity.

Prue: Great. So we need a plan. What are our options?

Leo: There's only one. It breaks the rules big time.

Piper: You mean…

Leo: Uh-huh.

Piper: And we…

Leo: Yep.

Piper: And that will…

Leo: I hope.

(Prue and Phoebe look at each other, confused.)

[Cut to an alley. Eames and Natalie are there. Natalie's lying on the ground.]

Eames: You think dying would be easier the second time around, but it sure doesn't look like it. _It's useless to fight the poison._ Don't you know death is just the beginning? In this case, of a lot more death. How's it feel to know that you will be responsible for the end of Whitelighters and witches alike, the end of good? Do I hear someone coming? _No._ But I hear someone going.

(He pushes the arrow in Natalie and kills her. He takes her powers. He orbs up into the white misty place. Whitelighters, in their robes, are standing nearby. He shoots the crossbow at one, which is really Prue, and she deflects the arrow with her power. Piper, also disguised as one, freezes the arrow in mid-air. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe show their faces. Phoebe kicks him and the arrow stabs him in the back.)

Eames: What the hell are you doing up here?

Phoebe: _Kicking your ass._

Prue: Don't even bother trying to orb out, it won't work. You see, you didn't just get the powers of a Whitelighter, but you got their vulnerability too, so the poison in that arrow is killing you just like you killed Natalie.

Piper: It's kind of poetic.

Phoebe: I'm kind of in a rhyming mood. How about you girls?

Prue: Sure. This poison isn't working fast enough for me.

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Time for amends and a victim's revenge..."

Prue: "Cloning power, turn sour..."

Piper: "Power to change, turn to strange..."

Phoebe: "I'm rejectin' your deflection." (Eames burns and disappears.) Wow. It worked.

Prue: Nothing anticlimactic about _that_.

(Phoebe laughs. A Whitelighter approaches them.)

Piper: Uh-oh. Here comes one.

(Leo shows his face.)

Leo: You made your Whitelighter proud.

Phoebe: Thanks, but we were just _winging it_.

Leo: Well, whatever you did, it worked.

Piper: Well, not as well as we would've liked. I'm sorry we couldn't save Natalie.

Leo: I know, me too. But she died for the greater good. I know she would've made that choice herself.

Phoebe: Although, I don't think that she would have been too keen on us orbing up here.

Leo: Which is why we gotta get out of here before we _all_ get in trouble.

Prue: I…. Okay, wait a second. No 5-cent tour? No meet the Elders?

Leo: We're going.

Prue: _Leo!_

Piper: It doesn't matter. It's not like we get to remember it anyway.

Leo: You will this time.

Piper: _Oh._

[Scene: Box is playing. Prue and Piper are sitting in the alcove. Phoebe comes up to them.]

Phoebe: I just checked the messages at home and Reece called. Said he needs to talk to you about the case.

Prue: Really? Did he say it was urgent?

Phoebe: Well, what could be urgent about the case?

Prue: Nothing. Actually, I can't think of anything that would be urgent.

Piper: I can. I _urgently_ want Leo to walk into this bar. He's been up there a _really_ long time and I'm starting to get worried. I don't understand how they can be mad at him after we _saved their butts_.

Phoebe: Well, he broke some pretty big rules while doing it.

Piper: Yeah, well, if they hold _that_ against him, I'm crossing over to the other side.

Prue: _Ditto._

Phoebe: Yeah. Ditto.

Piper: I've gotta get back to work.

(Piper walks away.)

Phoebe: Alright, so what's in that head of yours? Prue, if you wanna talk about it, I'm here. I just wanna help.

Prue: Um…. I was just worried about Leo too, you know.

(Leo is nearby looking around. He spots Prue and Phoebe.)

Phoebe: I'll go get Piper.

(Phoebe walks away. Leo comes up to Prue and sits down.)

Leo: Hey.

Prue: Hi.

Leo: How you doing?

Prue: Oh, I'm great. Actually, I'm lying. I'm awful. Um, I am _so_ sorry.

Leo: Hey, hey, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I let you down. I should have been watching more carefully. It won't happen again, okay.

(Piper and Phoebe come back over.)

Piper: Hey, hey, hey. What took so long? What happened?

Leo: I... have some news.

Piper: Okay.

Leo: Well, obviously, they found out that you've been up there, so they decided to review the facts of the Natalie situation, and they unanimously decided to _lift_ the probation.

Piper: What?

Leo: Piper, we are _officially_ engaged.

(Phoebe gets excited and hugs Piper.)

Phoebe: That's so great!

(Prue hugs Leo, then Phoebe hugs Prue. Piper and Leo hug while Prue and Phoebe look on, smiling.)


	12. Wrestling with Demons

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Wrestling with Demons**

[Scene: Police Station. Darryl and Mr. Chang are in a room. Darryl places a cup of coffee on the table.]

Mr. Chang: I don't get it. Who'd want to kill me?

Darryl: We're not sure, but our sources believe that your life is in danger. Protective custody-

Mr. Chang: _Our sources_? What _is_ this? Government surveillance? You have people watching me?

Darryl: Mr. Chang, your picture was in the Metro section today.

Mr. Chang: _Because I planted some trees._

Darryl: Mr. Chang, there were _four_ brutal murders in the last week, where the only common denominator is the victims' picture was in the Metro section the day that they died.

Mr. Chang: The mayor's in Metro today. You guys harassing him?

Darryl: Mr. Chang, I'm trying to help you.

Mr. Chang: I don't have any money. I don't have any enemies. Why would anyone wanna kill _me_? This is _crazy_.

[Cut to outside the room. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there.]

Phoebe: Alright, what do we do if Darryl can't convince him to lay low?

Prue: Oh, well, we follow him and if a demon attacks we kick some wiccan ass.

Piper: Look who's back and badder than ever.

Prue: It feels good to be back. It's the best way to put this whole Cole thing behind me.

Phoebe: Well, that's quite a turn around.

Prue: What do you mean?

Phoebe: Well, it's just that, I mean, you know, up until last week you, of all people, were kinda quiet and not really interested in things demonic, and now….

Prue: I am back. Bad guys beware.

Piper: And too bad we don't know who the bad guy is.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, at least we know who his next victim is.

(Darryl and Mr. Chang walk out of the room. Darryl goes over to the girls.)

Prue: Hey.

Darryl: Hey.

Prue: So did you get anything out of him?

Darryl: Just a migraine. That's about it.

Piper: So, what, you're just gonna let him go?

Darryl: I don't have a choice. He declined protection. Phoebe, are you _sure_ he's the guy that you saw get attacked in your premonition?

Phoebe: Oh, yeah, and it happened at night too, so we can't just let him go.

(Mr. Chang leaves the station.)

Prue: Alright, then we need to follow him. First one to see a demon yells vanquish, okay. (Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Darryl follow Mr. Chang out into the alley. He walks over to his motorbike.) Ugh, innocents and alleys. Don't they _ever_ learn?

Darryl: Yeah, I know. Come on.

(Mr. Chang fiddles with something on his bike. A guy comes around the corner and throws a fireball at Mr. Chang. Piper freezes it and Darryl tackles Mr. Chang so that they are down on the ground. Prue uses her power on the attacker.)

Mr. Chang: _What the hell_? (to Darryl) Not _you again_!

Darryl: Stay down.

(Phoebe stops Prue from using her power again and the attacker runs away. Piper and Darryl run over to Prue and Phoebe.)

Darryl: What happened?

Prue: Why did you let him get away?

Phoebe: I _know_ that demon. I _dated_ that demon. Huh.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Prue and Darryl are sitting at the table. Prue's looking through the Book of Shadows. Piper's watering the plants.]

Darryl: I think they're lost, Piper. Dead.

Piper: No, they're not... completely.

Prue: Piper waters when she's nervous.

Darryl: There's nothing to be nervous about. Mr. Chang's in protective custody.

Piper: No, it-it's not him. It's the whole 'my boyfriend is a demon' thing. It kind of hits a nerve with _all_ of us, and obviously I'm not that upset because I'm with Leo, who obviously is not-

Prue: Piper also babbles when she's nervous.

Piper: I resent that. I am expressing a _valid_ concern about this _continuing issue_ in our lives.

(Phoebe walks in holding a yearbook.)

Phoebe: What are you babbling about?

(Prue laughs.)

Piper: You know, if I could freeze the two of you, I would, _often_.

(Phoebe opens the yearbook to a picture of the demon.)

Phoebe: Alright, so here's the demon that we're looking for, or at least who he used to be. Tom Peters.

Prue: Wait, I didn't know you dated the captain of the high school football team. How suburban.

Phoebe: Yeah, he was a great guy.

Darryl: I remember Peters. He blew out his knee three weeks into his rookie year. About five, six years ago.

Phoebe: Leo!

Darryl: Rumours about gambling debts and that whole scene. He's also a missing persons. It never got closed. He just kind of disappeared.

Prue: More like went underground.

Phoebe: I wonder if his mom still lives in town. Leo!

(Phoebe walks out of the room.)

Darryl: A woman on a mission?

Prue: Mmm hmm.

Piper: I guess the captain of the football team was a bigger deal than we ever knew. (Prue, Piper, and Darryl go into the kitchen where Phoebe is.) Uh, Phoebe, are you sure we should pursue this?

Phoebe: Where on earth is... (Leo orbs in.) Leo, what took you so long?

Leo: Hi. (Piper and Leo kiss.) I had... _have_ a situation.

Piper: Uh-oh. You mean an _us_ situation or a _you_ situation? Oh, don't tell me they've changed their minds about us getting married because if that is the case, then you can just orb me up there right now and-

Prue: Babbling.

Leo: It has nothing to do with them. It has to do with me. I sorta, kinda, lost the wedding ring.

Darryl: Got a great ring guy downtown if you need one.

Piper: He _doesn't_ need one. He _has_ a ring. Mom's ring. I gave it to him so that he could give it back to me at the perfect romantic moment.

Phoebe: Wow, Leo, you lost mom's ring. It's a good thing you're dead already.

Leo: I had it in my pocket, Piper. All the orbing in and out….

Piper: Your orbs are _grass_ if you do not find that ring.

Phoebe: Alright, hi. Before blood is spilled, can I just ask a business question? Is it possible to turn a human into a demon?

Leo: Well, there's rumours, stories about demons recruiting humans.

Phoebe: So join the evil and see the underworld?

Leo: Kind of. Apparently the demons go after humans in need and strike your classic Faustian deal, but then the humans are forced into this training academy, a program that destroys their humanity.

Piper: And turns them into demons.

Leo: Right, and when the recruits graduate, they have to kill an innocent to seal the demonic conversion permanently.

Darryl: Yeah, it's like a gang initiation. You go out and kill the first person that you see and you're in the gang.

Prue: Well, that explains your four random killings. Maybe it's graduation time at the academy.

Phoebe: Well, if it is, Tom is one human they're not going to demonize.

Prue: Phoebe, how do you know we're not too late? I mean, if we didn't get there on time and stop him….

Phoebe: He would have killed an innocent and _then_ it would have been too late, but we _did_ stop him, so now we still have time to _save_ him. Alright, I'm going to go talk to Tom's mother, see if she knows anything. Maybe you guys could come up with, like, a spell to find him or something.

[Scene: Kellman's office. Kellman and a guy are there.]

Guy: Mr. Kellman, I swear I can make this right, I swear it.

Kellman: I was clear, wasn't I? I make your problems go away and you owe me. Now, did you forget about the last part of the deal?

Guy: I-I can pay you back. I just need more time.

Kellman: More time? You don't have any more time. Your debt is due and payable now.

Guy: Please. I'll do anything.

(Kellman makes an elevator appear.)

Kellman: Oh, yes, you will. Come on. (Kellman pushes the guy in the elevator and it goes down. The elevator disappears. Kellman turns to Tom.) Now I don't have to go over all this again with you too, Tom, do I?

Tom: Temporary setback, Mr. Kellman. It won't happen again.

Kellman: You know, you're not the only one exposed here. You got a contract with me and I got a contract with the Source. Five full graduates by tomorrow night. Now, all the others have made their kills. What's the problem?

Tom: A witch intervened.

Kellman: _What_? A _witch_? How the hell did that happen?

Tom: I don't know, but I wasn't followed. I used every safeguard I learned in the academy.

Kellman: Well, she must be tracking the innocent. We'll have to get you another one, but we're running out of time here. (He picks up the newspaper.) Just kill this one, but do it fast or else there'll be hell to pay.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue and Leo are there.]

Leo: Prue.

Prue: I don't want to talk about it.

Leo: You have to tell them, Prue. You can't wait any longer.

Prue: Well, it's not really an easy thing to drop into conversation, Leo. You know, like, 'Your hair looks great. Cole's not dead. I let him go.'

Leo: Confession is good for the soul.

Prue: Yeah, well, how about we skip the confession part and go straight to penance, okay? I will be such a force for good, the bad guys won't know what hit them.

Leo: You can't pretend it didn't happen, Prue.

Prue: Yeah, and I can't change the fact that it did, Leo. So if you will excuse me, I have a demon to vanquish. And you have a ring to find. (Prue walks in the living room carrying the Book of Shadows. Piper's there watering the plants.) Scrying for witches, a spell to find lost love, but there's nothing in here about how to find a demon.

Piper: Oh, well, probably because they usually find us.

Prue: Well, there's got to be a way.

Piper: If there is, Phoebe's gonna have to find it. Um, was there anything in there, you know, to help Leo find my ring?

Prue: Piper, we can't just give up. We have to find this demon before it kills somebody.

Piper: Okay, well, do you got a spell?

Prue: Maybe.

[Time lapse. Prue's in her room, reaching under her bed. She pulls out a box and sits on her bed. She opens it up and pulls out a piece of paper. Piper walks in.]

Piper: I'm afraid to ask.

Prue: It's just something that I thought that I needed, and then decided that I didn't.

Piper: Okay.

(Piper takes the piece of paper off of Prue and reads it.)

Prue: It's a lost and found spell.

Piper: Wow. Perfect timing. Do I want to _know_ what you were trying to find?

Prue: Cole.

Piper: _Cole_? Honey, you were trying to bring a demon back from the dead?

Prue: No. He's still alive. I never really vanquished him.

Piper: I'm sorry?

Prue: It's over. He's not coming back and I don't want him to either.

Piper: Prue, you-you let him _go_? Are you out of your mind?!

Prue: He's not after us anymore. He won't hurt us.

Piper: No, you-you don't know that.

Prue: _Yes_ , I _do_. Piper, I just…. I couldn't kill him.

Piper: Prue, you _lied_ to us.

Prue: I know. I'm sorry.

Piper: So this is where this new Wonder Woman attitude comes from? A guilty conscience?

Prue: No…. Well, maybe. I don't know.

Piper: You have to tell Phoebe.

Prue: She won't understand.

Piper: Yeah, well, she's not the only one.

[Scene: Tom Peters' place. Phoebe is there talking to his mother.]

Mrs. Peters: He was so fast. His coach said he could have run track too, but all Tom cares about is football.

Phoebe: I'm sorry that we lost touch but, um, what happened after he got hurt?

Mrs. Peters: He was depressed. I understood.

Phoebe: So the stories that I heard about his being in trouble….

Mrs. Peters: The gambling rumours? Don't believe a _word_ of it. No one ever came to me looking for money, and Mr. Kellman would have told me if there was a problem.

Phoebe: Mr. Kellman?

Mrs. Peters: His business manager. He took _such_ good care of Tom, and he was a wonderful help to me after Tom... went away.

Phoebe: Mrs. Peters, what do you think happened?

Mrs. Peters: I think Tom has some things to take care of and he'll be home when he can. I know it in my heart. My son's a good man.

[Cut to the manor. Prue and Piper are sitting at a table. Prue lights a candle. Piper is holding onto a crystal.]

Prue/Piper: "Guiding spirits, I ask your charity/Lend me your focus and clarity/(Prue walks in)/Lead me to the one I cannot find, restore that and my peace of mind."

Phoebe: Hey, what's all this?

(Prue blows out the candle.)

Prue: Oh, we were just looking for Tom. You know, with a little spell that _we_ created.

Piper: _You_ created.

Phoebe: Wow, you came up with the whole ritual that fast?

Piper: Actually, not as fast as you would think.

(Prue kicks Piper under the table.)

Phoebe: Well, thank you. I really appreciate you guys doing this for me.

Piper: She didn't exactly do it for you.

Prue: Okay, what did Tom's mother say?

Phoebe: Poor lady. She talks about him like he's been gone a week as opposed to six years and she actually thinks he's coming back.

Piper: Based on….?

Phoebe: Faith, and I would like to prove her right.

Prue: Well, we're doing everything we can.

Phoebe: Yeah, and you know what? We have saved bad boys before. I mean, what about the priest with the warlock brothers?

Piper: Yeah, but Phoebe, he _wanted_ to be saved. Can you guarantee that about Tom, or any other _demon-human mix_?

Prue: This is not about Cole, okay? That's a whole other subject.

Piper: One worth discussing.

Phoebe: Am I missing something here?

Piper: Yes./Prue: Yes, actually

Prue: We are missing Tom and he's someone we should probably continue talking about. So if this spell works and we actually find him, what do we do? Do we vanquish him?

Phoebe: Well, I'm hoping that it won't come to that.

Prue: Yeah, but what if it does, Phoebe?

(They hear a bang at the door.)

Phoebe: What was that?

Prue: You changing the subject.

(They go into the foyer and open the front door. Prue picks up the newspaper.)

Prue: Huh, alright, since when did they start delivering newspapers in the afternoon?

(They flip through the paper and notice all the pictures are missing.)

Piper: Since they started taking out all the pictures.

Prue: Wow, it's a pretty cool spell if I do say so myself. Except what is it telling us?

(Phoebe turns to the Metro section and sees a picture of a woman.)

Phoebe: Oh, that. 'Claudia Gibson will discuss the mayor's position on Net News Live today at 2:00.' Which is... ten minutes ago.

(Phoebe goes inside.)

Piper: Hmm? Our next innocent?

Prue: As in Tom's next victim.

(Phoebe comes out with the car keys.)

Phoebe: Keys.

Prue: Thanks.

Phoebe: Come on.

[Scene: Outside a building. Claudia walks towards her car. Tom follows her from behind. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe pull up nearby and get out of the car. Tom throws a fireball at Claudia, but Piper freezes it before it can hit her. They run over to them.]

Piper: Well, we didn't bring a vanquish, but if we throw him into the street that just might do the trick.

Phoebe: We are not gonna vanquish him.

Prue: Phoebe, he almost killed that woman.

Phoebe: Almost, but didn't. (Prue uses her power and the fireball hits a car.) Alright, we need to get him home.

Prue: Wha….? _Our_ home? You're voluntarily bringing a _demon_ back to our home?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Phoebe's looking through the Book of Shadows. Tom is tied to a chair and is struggling to get free. Prue and Piper walk in and Piper freezes him.]

Piper: Did you find anything yet?

Phoebe: Not yet.

Piper: Well, while we're waiting this would be a good time to discuss something.

(The phone rings downstairs.)

Prue: Oh, phone. Piper'll get it.

Piper: Nope. Machine, remember?

Phoebe: Leo was right.

Prue: About what?

Phoebe: About the demonic training academy. It's right here in the Book.

Prue: Oh, really?

Phoebe: 'A brutal training program which destroys humanity and renders the subject demonic.' Alright, so if Tom is completely demonic, he'll have a brand on his arm with six chevrons.

(Piper pulls up Tom's sleeve and reveals five chevrons.)

Piper: He's only got five.

Phoebe: Good, that means he's not fully converted.

Prue: We better vanquish him while we can.

Phoebe: You know, when Cole was the hybrid in question, you were all about saving him.

Piper: _Excellent point._

Prue: Yes, well, I learned from my mistake.

Piper: And which mistake was that?

Prue: Believing that I could save a demon.

Phoebe: Hmm. Well, like I said before, this is different. (Tom unfreezes. Prue walks over to him.) Tom, look at me. Do you remember me from high school?

(He throws a fireball at her but she dodges.)

Piper: Hmm, does that mean he remembers you or that he doesn't? (The doorbell rings.) _What_ is going on down there?

Phoebe: Why don't you guys go and find out?

Prue: And leave you alone with him?

Phoebe: I can handle him. It's okay.

(Prue and Piper leave the attic.)

[Cut to the foyer. Prue opens the door.]

Darryl: Got Tom's file.

Prue: We got Tom.

(A white dog runs inside, goes into the living room, and jumps on the couch.)

Piper: _Rasputin_! Get off the... get…. _Rasputin_?

Darryl: You got a dog?

Prue: _No_ , that's our Grams' dog, and he's been lost for…

Piper: _Seven years_ , Prue.

Prue: Okay, so there's one small side effect. We can handle that.

(The phone continues to ring.)

Piper: Why is the answering machine not picking up?

(Piper goes into another room.)

Prue: I cast a little spell.

Darryl: The less I know, the happier I am.

[Cut to the kitchen. Piper answers the phone.]

Piper: Hello? An old friend of Prue's. Okay, let me get a pencil. (She opens a drawer and dozens of pencils fall out onto the floor.) Aah! (She sees her ring on the floor.) Oh my god, oh my god, oh my... oh, call back again soon.

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: What is it? What did you find?

Piper: Lost friends and mom's ring. So _everything_ is coming back to where it was lost? That means you lost your- _oh!_

(Hundreds of socks fall out of the laundry room.)

Prue: Okay, so it's a big side effect.

Piper: Those better be clean, because if not, it's laundry day for you, missy.

[Cut back up to the attic.]

Tom: You don't scare me. I've been trained to deal with witches.

Phoebe: I'd forgotten how proud you were when we knew each other.

Tom: I've forgotten you completely.

Phoebe: You don't want to tell me what happened because you don't want to admit how badly you screwed up.

Tom: I didn't.

Phoebe: It's obvious. While you were still human, you were stupid enough to enter into some demonic contract.

Tom: I was never human.

Phoebe: You had to have been. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made it into the academy. Yes, I know about the academy. I know about the chevrons. I also know that you haven't killed your innocent yet.

Tom: I will.

Phoebe: You'll have to get past me first.

Tom: Kellman'll kill us both if I don't!

Phoebe: Kellman? Tom, I know who you are, the person that you were, alright, and I know that somewhere in there it still exists. Look, Tom. (Phoebe shows him the yearbook.) This is who you are, alright? This is who your mother is waiting for.

Tom: Vanquish me, or I will kill you, witch.

Phoebe: Neither is going to happen, alright? I am going to save you from yourself whether you like it or not.

(She loosens the ropes. She walks out of the attic.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Phoebe walks in. The room is full of stuff.]

Phoebe: Okay, so I think I have an idea of how to... whoa.

Prue: My lost and found spell's a little too enthusiastic.

Piper: We're finding stuff all over the house. It's endless. Including your brown hair! Oh, yeah, mm-hmm.

(Phoebe looks at herself in a tray and quickly puts it back down.)

Phoebe: I did not want my brown hair back. I wanted to keep that lost. It must be because I coloured my hair in that sink. So technically I lost it there and now I've found it again. I hope this doesn't affect my virginity.

Darryl: I don't mean to sound paranoid, but after all these years I think I've earned that right. How do you know your spell is not gonna find demons that you've already vanquished?

Piper: Oh, you mean like Belthazor?

Phoebe: Okay, one demon at a time. Did you get anything on Tom?

Darryl: Just a missing persons file.

(Darryl hands her the file.)

Phoebe: Alright, anything on a man named Kellman?

(They hear a door close.)

Piper: What was that?

Phoebe: That would be Tom leaving.

Prue: What?

Phoebe: Yeah, I let him go, loosened his ropes. I'm hoping to track him down to the demon that turned him. Break him, break his hold on Tom. Anything that you can get me on Kellman I'd appreciate, okay?

Prue: Alright, I guess we're going now.

Piper: Shouldn't we reverse the spell first?

(The girls leave the kitchen. The wind blows through the kitchen and freaks Darryl out.)

[Scene: A building. Tom is making his way to Kellman's office. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are following behind. Tom walks inside his office.]

Phoebe: Alright, you ready?

Prue: Ready for what?

Phoebe: To save him.

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk into Kellman's office. No one's there.)

Phoebe: Where'd he go?

Prue: Okay, that doesn't make any sense. If he could vanish, he would have done it before.

Piper: I got a bad feeling about this.

[Cut to the underground. Tom gets out of the elevator and walks over to Kellman.]

Tom: I have good news, Mr. Kellman.

Kellman: You killed the innocent.

Tom: Better. I can deliver you three witches.

Kellman: _Witches_?! I don't care about _witches_! I care about _deadlines_! Yours and mine! You know, if I weren't running out of time, I'd have you... (Kellman leans over and sniffs Tom.) Is that humanity I'm sensing from you? Huh? Now how did _that_ come back? That was supposed to be drummed out of you by now. You need a refresher course.

(Lights comes on around a wrestling ring. Two demons take Tom away.)

[Cut back to Kellman's office. Piper picks up a soccer ball.]

Piper: This is weird. So Kellman poses as a human and then what? Gives athletes a way out of their problems?

Phoebe: Yeah, a demonic way out. Alright, what about your lost and found spell? Do you think you could rewrite it to find Tom?

Prue: Maybe. Uh, how about, "Show me the path that I cannot find/To save Tom and restore Phoebe's peace of mind."

(The elevator appears.)

Piper: Oh, whoa.

Phoebe: Way to go, Prue.

[Cut to the underground. A guy and a really large wrestler are in the ring. The wrestler starts throwing the guy around.]

[Cut back to the office. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are standing outside the elevator.]

Piper: Remind me again why we're doing this.

Phoebe: Because your sisters have a thing for saving bad boys.

Piper: If I die before I get married, I'm gonna be _really_ mad at the two of you.

(They get on the elevator and it goes down to the underground. The doors open.)

Phoebe: Oh _god_.

Piper: Okay, I'd still like to point out that I have a really bad feeling about this. (They walk out of the elevator and see them wrestling.) What the….?

Phoebe: Oh, no.

Wrestler: I'm the man!

(The wrestler holds the guy on the mat and a hole opens up beneath him. The guy falls into the flames.)

Kellman: Next!

(Tom goes in the ring.)

Phoebe: Tom.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Continued from before.]

(Phoebe starts to walk over but Prue and Piper stop her.)

Prue: Whoa!/Piper: Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Piper: Are you _nuts_?

Prue: Maybe we need to go back up top and rethink this whole thing.

Phoebe: Oh, well, you know what, Prue? That would be _such_ a great plan if Tom weren't seconds away from annihilation.

Prue: Okay, so we're supposed to risk our lives to save a demon? Of course, it's okay now that it's your demon, right?

Piper: The thing is, isn't it silly for the three of us to sacrifice ourselves for one guy, whatever kind of guy he was?

Phoebe: Alright, what kind of witches would we be if we started playing the odds, if we started picking and choosing our innocents? I mean, this is what we do, isn't it?

Prue: Then let's do it.

Phoebe: Okay.

Piper: But-

Phoebe: Tom!

(The men start to run over to them and Piper freezes them all but Kellman, Tom, and the wrestler. Kellman makes a ball with three sharp blades sticking out of it hover near Tom.)

Kellman: Your little parlour tricks may work on some of the newer boys, but the rest of us will be a little tougher.

(He pulls up his sleeve to reveal eight chevrons on his arm.)

[Cut to the police station. Darryl's in a room looking through a file cabinet. Leo orbs in. Darryl quickly shuts the door.]

Darryl: Man, you can't do that around here!

Leo: I can't sense the girls anywhere, which is never good. Do you know where they might be?

Darryl: They were tailing their demon, hoping he would lead them to his... bigger demon.

Leo: Do you know who that is?

Darryl: Phoebe asked me to check out a manager named Kellman. He paid all of Tom's bills after he disappeared, but….

Leo: He could be a recruiter. Do you have an address?

(Darryl hands Leo a file.)

Darryl: Do you think Kellman's a demon? Well, what kind of powers do you think we should expect? (Leo looks at the file and orbs out.) Oh, see, okay, now that ain't right.

[Cut back to the underground.]

Kellman: You girls are way out of your league down here. You have no idea.

Phoebe: Well, we know that you have a deadline, Mr. Kellman. A time to deliver your recruits?

Kellman: And you think you can stop me, hmm? Think you can save him? I kind of admire that level of arrogance.

Phoebe: Thanks. We kind of like to think of it as confidence.

Kellman: Well, get over it. He's lost.

Tom: I made a deal. I stand by it.

(The sharp ball disappears. Tom gets out of the ring and stands next to Kellman.)

Kellman: Now, you see that? Now that's what I call a quick recovery, huh. Knocked the humanity right out of him and we got a perfect kill for him too.

Piper: Uh, not if we put him on ice. (Piper freezes him.) Kind of hard to make him kill an innocent now, huh?

Kellman: Unfreeze him.

Piper: _Nope._

(Kellman walks towards Piper.)

Piper: Ah! If anything happens to me, he's gonna stay that way.

Prue: (whispers) Is that true?

Piper: (whispers) _Yes._

Kellman: You're bluffing.

Phoebe: Are we?

Kellman: I'm listening.

Phoebe: Alright, how about three witches in exchange for Tom's soul?

Prue: Phoebe!

Phoebe: If we win, we get Tom back. If we lose, you get Tom and the three of us. Risk one to gain four.

Kellman: You really think you can win in the ring?

Phoebe: Well, you know, we don't really have much of a choice. But if we do win, we don't go into the training program. We go free.

Kellman: Did your homework. Okay. You got a deal. You win, you go free. But if you lose, you _die_. I can't control what happens in the ring, only the Source can.

Phoebe: Understood.

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe move away and take off their coats.)

Piper: Hey, you know that bad feeling I was talking about? It's getting _stronger_.

Prue: Alright, you need to stay here and keep Tom frozen, okay?

Piper: I hate this crappy freezing power!

Prue: Okay, our powers seem to have a limited effect on these guys. So we're gonna have to outmaneuver them.

Phoebe: And outsmart them and keep our shoulders off the mat. Piece of cake. So I guess we're as ready as we're ever gonna be.

Prue: Uh, Phoebe, there's one more thing.

Piper: _Now_? _Now_ is your perfect moment?

Prue: Piper, we might die in there!

Piper: That doesn't mean you should tell her now.

Phoebe: Okay, tell me _what_?

Prue: Cole is still alive. I never really vanquished him.

Phoebe: What?

Kellman: By the way, since you're witches, I think it's only fair that I even the playing field.

(Two very large wrestlers come out.)

Wrestler #2: (yelling) You look at this face! This is the face of pain, and I'm the bringer of pain! And I'm gonna destroy you! You can cry for mercy, but I don't know the meaning of the word!

Prue: Alright, and people think this is entertainment. Phoebe….

(Prue touches Phoebe's arm and she pulls away.)

Phoebe: Ooh!

Prue: Are we okay?

Phoebe: Not by a long shot. Look, Prue, if you waited till now to tell me about Cole in the hopes that we would die and you wouldn't have to deal with me, you have another thing coming.

(Phoebe walks away.)

Prue: (to Piper) I think that went well.

(Prue and Phoebe go into the ring.)

Phoebe: Alright, I am going to win this fight, that way I can kick your ass myself later. Hi.

Piper: Oh boy, oh boy.

(Phoebe jumps up and kicks both of the wrestlers in the head.)

Prue: Wow.

(They all start fighting.)

Piper: Okay, oh god, oh god, come on, do something! Get angry! Focus! Get motivated! Phoebe, listen to me! She lied to you! Big time! Big time lied to you! Come on, get angry! Come on, or else we're in big deep. Prue, she thinks you're, like, a big time sucker for love. Oh god!

(Kellman puts the sharp ball in Piper's back. She falls to the floor. Everyone unfreezes.)

Prue: _Piper!_

Kellman: Called your bluff.

Phoebe: Piper!

(The wrestlers continue to beat up Prue and Phoebe. One wrestler is dragging an injured Prue by the leg while the other is sitting on Phoebe.)

Kellman: (to Tom) Let's go see how mom's doing, shall we, slammer? Yeah, baby.

(One of the wrestlers holds Phoebe down on the mat. The hole starts to open.)

Phoebe: No! Aah! Prue!

Commercial Break

[Scene: Underground. Continued from before. Prue kicks both the wrestlers and helps Phoebe up.]

Phoebe: Thank you.

Prue: Alright, we have to save Piper.

Phoebe: How do we do that?

Prue: By kicking ass. (They kick the wrestlers in the head and they fall on the mat. Prue and Phoebe hold the wrestlers down. The hole starts to open.) Alright, 1, 2, 3.

(Prue and Phoebe move out of the way and the wrestlers fall down the hole. Prue and Phoebe run over to Piper.)

Prue: Anyone else want a piece of this?

(The demons run away.)

Phoebe: Prue, it looks really bad. I don't know if we're gonna make it to Leo.

Prue: Yeah, we will, come on.

(They drag her to the elevator.)

[Cut to Kellman's office. Leo's there looking through his stuff. Prue and Phoebe carry Piper out of the elevator.]

Phoebe: Leo!

Leo: What happened?

Prue: Hurry! I think she's stopped breathing.

(They lay her on the ground and Leo pulls out the sharp ball. He starts to heal her.)

Leo: It's working.

Phoebe: Okay, not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but what are you doing here, Leo?

Leo: I was looking for you. I thought I'd start with Kellman.

Phoebe: He's the recruiter.

Leo: I figured. The Elders think the key to destroying him is to turn one of his recruits against him.

Phoebe: So first we have to figure out a way to save Tom. Alright, so I'll call Morris, get him to bring Tom's mom to the manor. Then we just have to figure out a way to get Tom there.

Prue: Wait, you want them in the same house?

Phoebe: Yeah, she's gotta be the key to saving him, otherwise why would Kellman want Tom to kill her?

Prue: Okay, well, maybe I could figure out a way to tweak the lost and found spell, _again_ , lure him to the house. I mean, after all, Tom's a lost soul, right? She gonna be okay?

Leo: Yeah. Go. I'll take care of Piper.

Prue: You sure?

Leo: Yeah.

(Prue and Phoebe walk outside.)

Prue: Phoebe, maybe we should talk about this first.

Phoebe: Yeah, we'll have to figure out how to take out Kellman on the way.

Prue: That's not what I meant.

Phoebe: Now's not really the time, Prue.

Prue: Phoebe, what if we don't _have_ any time? Look, we may not be able to defeat Kellman. We could lose.

Phoebe: We won't lose.

Prue: How do you know that, Phoebe? All you want to do is save Tom, which is all I wanted to do for Cole.

Phoebe: Okay, Prue, don't try and turn this around on me, alright? I'm not the one who kept secrets from you.

Prue: I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't understand. And what makes Tom deserve a chance?

Phoebe: Because he started out good. He didn't start out trying to kill us. Can we talk about this later?

[Cut back to Kellman's office. Leo heals Piper.]

Piper: Hey, guess what? I found mom's ring. (She sits up.) Ooh.

(They hug.)

[Scene: Outside Mrs. Peters' place. Mrs. Peters gets some groceries out of her car. Darryl pulls up and walks over to her.]

Darryl: Mrs. Peters? Detective Morris, San Francisco P.D.

Mrs. Peters: Tom?

[Cut to the manor. Rasputin is on the couch barking at eerie noises. Darryl and Mrs. Peters walk in.]

Mrs. Peters: What was that? What are those noises?

Darryl: I'm not quite sure.

(Prue and Phoebe come in.)

Phoebe: Thanks for coming, Mrs. Peters.

Mrs. Peters: But I don't understand.

Phoebe: You will soon. Any sign of Kellman?

Darryl: No, but there are plenty of other signs.

Prue: Uh-oh, seems like some lost souls were found. We need to reverse the spell quick.

Mrs. Peters: Where's Tom? (Kellman and Tom walk in.) Tom!

(Darryl stops Mrs. Peters from going over to him.)

Darryl: No!

Kellman: How did you….?

Prue: 'Cause we're not done with you yet.

Kellman: I told you it was too late to save Tom. But thank you for leading us to the victim. Kill her, Tom.

(Tom throws a fireball at his mother. Darryl pushes her out of the way. Prue uses her power on Kellman.)

Phoebe: Listen to me. Look at your mother. Remember what it felt like to be human. Remember what it feels like to be loved.

(Kellman makes the sharp ball appear near Mrs. Peters' neck. The lost souls fly around the room.)

Prue: Phoebe, we're about to have _other_ problems from _other_ worlds.

Mrs. Peters: Tom? Help me!

Kellman: Kill her, damn it!

(Tom goes over and grabs onto the ball. He hesitates and then throws it at Kellman. The lost souls fly around him.)

Prue: What the hell is happening?

Phoebe: I think there are some lost souls welcoming a new friend. Get rid of them.

Prue: "I return what I didn't want to find/Let it be out of sight, out of mind."

(Kellman is vanquished and the souls disappear. Tom's chevrons disappear.)

Tom: Mom. Mom, I'm so sorry.

(They hug.)

Mrs. Peters: Oh! Oh, Tommy! It's alright. Everything's alright.

Prue: I guess some guys are worth saving after all.

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are there. They are looking at their mother's ring, which is now on Piper's finger.]

Piper: Isn't that beautiful?

Phoebe: Yes, and it's right where it belongs. So is Tom, by the way, at home with his mom.

Leo: And I got Rasputin back to the family he was living with.

Prue: So maybe the spell wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Piper: Are you kidding? We're going to have to hold a huge garage sale every Saturday for like the next three months to get rid of all of the stuff that came back here.

Leo: Yeah. Who knows what trouble may have been caused if those lost souls had stayed around.

Prue: Okay, okay, I will _fix it_.

Phoebe: You guys go and have a nice dinner. (Piper and Leo leave the manor. Prue and Phoebe walk into the living room. Prue burns the spell in the fireplace.)

Prue: So now everything's back to normal. Except what about your hair?

Phoebe: Mmm, I'm tempted to keep it, but I don't know, I think the blonde's coming back. Is anything else?

Prue: No. You were right about Tom, and I was wrong about Cole. I'm _sorry_.

Phoebe: And you think that just takes care of it? I'm sorry?

Prue: Well, obviously an apology doesn't fix it, but I'm not stupid, Phoebe. I know that I made a bad choice.

Phoebe: A choice that betrayed us.

Prue: I didn't do it to betray you, Phoebe. I did it out of love.

Phoebe: Right. Love. Love that almost got all of us killed.

Prue: You wanted to save Tom after, I don't know, how many years? Why can't you understand how I felt about Cole?

Phoebe: Prue, what I don't understand is how you could have lied to us, Piper and me, a lie that still poses a threat to all three of us. Especially after all of the times that you have gotten on my case for bad decisions.

Prue: Where do we go from here?

Phoebe: I don't know.


	13. Bride and Gloom

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Bride and Gloom**

[Scene: Manor. Prue's room. Prue is lying on her bed eating popcorn and watching "Kill It Before It Dies".]

Sally Mae: (on TV) _Oh, Billy_! Please don't leave me alone! Aah!

Billy: (on TV) Guess who?

Sally Mae: Oh! Is it really over?

Billy: Yes, Sally Mae, it is.

Sally Mae: _Really and truly_?

Billy: I'm here now, and as long as I'm with you, everything's gonna be A-OK.

Sally Mae: Promise?

Billy: Promise.

Sally Mae: You're my _hero_ , Billy.

Billy: And I think you're _swell_ , Sally Mae.

(Billy and Sally Mae go off-screen and Cole shimmers into the TV. Prue looks closer at the TV.)

Prue: Cole?

Cole: Prue, hi. Just a little trick I learned from the demon of illusion.

Prue: But what…

Cole: Am I doing in here? Uh, I wasn't sure how you'd react. Thought this might be a safer way of letting you know that I was back... for good.

Opening Credits

[Scene: P3. Phoebe and Justin walk outside. It's the end of their date.]

Phoebe: So, um, I had a really good time tonight, Justin.

Justin: Did you? I mean, really? The reason I ask is that you seemed... kind of quiet.

Phoebe: No, it's just that, you know, I've got a lot on my mind with Piper getting married and everything.

Justin: Sure. 'Course, if I was the paranoid type, I would be thinking it was because of me.

Phoebe: Don't be ridiculous.

Justin: So are we still on for lunch tomorrow?

Phoebe: Yeah. Pick me up at 1:00?

Justin: It's a date.

Phoebe: Okay.

(They kiss awkwardly.)

Justin: Good night.

Phoebe: Night.

(Justin leaves. Phoebe walks back inside. A man is watching her nearby.)

[Cut inside. Phoebe walks up to Piper and Leo, who are sitting at the bar.]

Phoebe: Hey.

(Piper looks at her watch.)

Piper: Gee, Phoebe, it's only 9:00 and your date's already over? How very Disney of you.

Phoebe: Justin has a meeting early in the morning.

Piper: I see. So did you decide if you're going to invite him to the wedding?

Phoebe: No, I'm stalling. Oh, you know, he's a nice guy, he's _sweet_ , but he's just _so_ predictable, you know? There's no mystery, no savoir-faire. (Phoebe puts on some lipstick.) You know, besides, a wedding invite definitely makes a statement.

Leo: That he can tie a bow tie?

Phoebe: No, that the relationship is serious, you know? That it's going somewhere. All that built-in romance, mingling with the family, hidden tensions.

Leo: All the more reason to have a nice, simple, private wedding.

Piper: Nice try, mister. Okay, the wedding planner, tomorrow at 11:00, no _getting_ out of it, no _orbing_ out of it, _nothing_. Don't even _try_ it.

(Piper goes to the bathroom. The man watching before pretends to be on the phone as Piper walks past. He shape-shifts into Piper.)

[Cut back to Phoebe and Leo.]

Leo: I don't know. I just don't want to set her up for a big disappointment. I mean, how do you have a normal wedding when a ghost'll be presiding and the groom's dead?

Phoebe: Leo, don't even _try_ to figure it out, alright? It's a Cinderella complex. Every girl goes through it. I've been dreaming of this day my _entire_ life.

Leo: Piper's wedding?

(Phoebe slaps his arm lightly.)

Phoebe: _No_ , _mine_.

(Shape-shifter Piper walks up to them.)

Shape-shifter Piper: Hey, Phoebe? Can I borrow your lipstick?

Phoebe: What?

Shapeshifter Piper: Lipstick. I'm out. Do you mind?

Phoebe: Sure, knock yourself out. (Piper takes it and walks away.) _You're welcome_!

(The shape-shifter shape-shifts back into himself before blinking away.)

[Cut back to Phoebe and Leo.]

Leo: Listen, about Prue, don't you think it's time to let her off the hook a little? I mean, she came clean about Cole.

Phoebe: Leo, you can't just pretend to vanquish a demon and then two months later say, gee guys, I'm sorry, I didn't.

Leo: I know, but for what it's worth, I don't think she wants him back in her life anymore.

Phoebe: Maybe not, but that doesn't mean he's not gonna try and kill us again.

[Scene: At an altar. The shape-shifter (Zile) kneels down in front of the altar. A priestess, Dantalian, fades in in front of him.]

Zile: Dantalian. _Priestess_ Dantalian.

(He stands up.)

Dantalian: Were you successful?

Zile: She's as beautiful as you said she'd be.

(He hands her the lipstick.)

Dantalian: You're certain this has touched her lips?

Zile: Absolutely. I watched her all night. Not to be ungrateful, but what do you get out of making Phoebe Halliwell my wife?

Dantalian: I'm a humble servant of the Source, Zile. I get nothing other than the benefits we all reap whenever good is turned evil.

Zile: _Still_ , for all the unions you've consecrated, it seems you should get _something_ , especially for this one.

(Dantalian places a small scorpion into a bowl.)

Dantalian: There _is_ a spoil that intrigues me. The Halliwell Book of Shadows is said to be the most _magical_ of all tomes.

Zile: The witches' Book of Shadows? That shouldn't be too hard to get.

Dantalian: This one _is_. Evil can't touch it. Although turning Prue evil should turn her sisters and their Book evil as well. Their magic's interconnected.

Zile: Well, then I'll get it for you myself, as a token of my gratitude.

Dantalian: First things first. Getting the witch here so that I can perform the ceremony. That's what this potion is for. (She wipes some potion on Zile's lips.) Kiss her, and it _paralyzes_ her. After I bind you in marriage, she'll fall into a deep sleep where the transformation to evil will occur.

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe, Leo, and the two wedding planners are standing in the foyer. Piper walks down the stairs.]

Piper: Okay, so the more traditional the better as far as I'm concerned. The wedding march starts, and I come down the stairs.

Female Planner: So you have no flower girl?

Piper: Uh, I don't know. Do I?

Phoebe: Well, unless you want to ask Kate down the street.

Leo: _Great_ idea. Maybe she can bring some of her fairy friends. Or _trolls_ , even better.

Female Planner: Trolls?

Piper: Uh….

Phoebe: Right, trolls, uh, our father's side of the family is very _short_.

Piper: Right, let's skip the flower girl.

Phoebe: Right.

Female Planner: Well, I think we should at least dress the banister with garlands. Maybe even carry the floral theme all the way to the altar. How many guests are you planning on?

Piper: Uh, let me think. Fifty, sixty-

Leo: _Sixty_? Like who?

Piper: Well, there's all the people from P3, friends, and _Darryl_ , and _Dad_ , Mom-

Phoebe: Uh, mom? Piper, I don't really think that you can _count_ her.

Male Planner: We'll have to if she's going to eat.

Phoebe: Oh, trust me, she won't be eating.

Female Planner: I thought your mother passed on.

Phoebe: Mmm hmm.

Piper: _Right_ , she did. Um, I just I meant that I hope that she's there in spirit.

Female Planner: Oh.

Male Planner: You're right, that doesn't count. (He scribbles something out on his notepad.) Now, have you thought about what kind of hor d'eouvres you'd like by any chance?

Piper: Um….

Leo: Pigs in a blanket.

(Piper laughs.)

Piper: L-Leo, I was-I was hoping for something a little bit more _elegant_. Excuse us.

(Leo and Piper go into another room.)

Female Planner: We still need to place the ice sculpture!

[Cut to Piper and Leo.]

Piper: What is the matter with you? Why are you doing this?

Leo: Because this is a disaster waiting to happen, that's why.

Piper: Oh! Well, keep _that_ up and it will be.

Leo: Piper, I love you, and I want nothing more for you than to have your dream wedding, but you are _kidding_ yourself with this. We don't _need_ wedding planners. We just _need us_.

Piper: _You_ may not need wedding planners, but _I_ do. I don't want to have to _worry_ about anything. And therefore, if I have to fight a demon in the morning, I know that the _flowers_ will still be there _on time_.

Leo: It's not the flowers that I'm worried about. It's the _guests_ , as in how do we _explain everything_ to them? I mean, a Whitelighter marrying a witch is _hardly_ traditional.

Piper: _Obviously._

[Cut to Phoebe.]

(Prue walks past.)

Phoebe: Prue!

Prue: I'm running late for work. Isn't Justin picking you up for lunch?

Phoebe: Yeah, but he's not here yet. I thought that, uh, we could talk. You know, try and put this whole Cole situation behind us.

Prue: I gotta go.

(She leaves. Piper comes back in.)

Piper: Okay, tell me the truth. Do you think I'm overdoing it with the wedding stuff? Hello?

Phoebe: Uh, okay, why is Prue going to work without her stuff?

Piper: Okay, why is Phoebe not answering Piper's question?

Phoebe: Maybe because she doesn't want _both_ of her sisters not speaking to her. (A car honks.) Um, okay, that's Justin. Can I have my lipstick back?

Piper: What lipstick?

Phoebe: The one that you borrowed last night at the club.

Piper: Wasn't me.

Phoebe: _Right_ , I must've gotten you confused with another Piper. Okay, you have fun with what's going on here, 'cause it looks great. Okay, bye.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cemetery. Prue walks into the mausoleum.]

Prue: Cole?

Cole: Prue? (He comes out from behind a crypt and walks over to her.) I knew you'd know where to find me.

(Prue punches him in the face.)

Prue: _That_ is for _ruining_ my favourite movie and, oh yeah, my life too.

Cole: Prue.

Prue: I don't want to hear it, Cole. I'm over you. I want _nothing_ to do with you anymore.

Cole: I don't believe that.

Prue: Oh yeah? Well, believe it, because if I ever see you again, I'm gonna do what I should've done a long time ago, which is vanquish your _sorry ass_.

Cole: Apparently distance hasn't exactly made the heart grow fonder.

Prue: Huh.

(She turns to leave.)

Cole: Prue, wait. _Hey_! (Prue stops.) Look, I took a huge risk coming out in the open and contacting you! The least you can do is hear me out! (She turns back around.) I've been hiding this whole time, shimmering from realm to realm to realm to keep the Source from realizing that you _didn't_ vanquish my sorry ass. You're the only one who knows I'm alive.

Prue: Actually, that's... not true. I couldn't keep lying to my sisters. I had to tell them.

Cole: Okay. That's okay, I understand. As long as you didn't tell Leo. (Prue looks away.) Oh, for god's sake, Prue! Why didn't you just put an ad in the paper, tell the _whole damn world_?!

Prue: You know what?! Maybe I _should have_!

Cole: I've risked my life for you, Prue. My soul. I've put myself in more danger coming back here than you could possibly imagine because I want to try and figure out how to make this work between us.

Prue: Good and evil can't work together.

Cole: We did before.

Prue: I learned from my mistakes.

Cole: So did I. Prue, I can suppress my demonic half just like I suppressed my human half before we met. I can be good. You've seen that. And if you know I can, then why can't we be together?

Prue: It's too late.

(She leaves.)

[Scene: Restaurant. Phoebe and Justin are sitting at a table, continuing a conversation.]

Phoebe: So, you don't think of yourself as predictable?

Justin: Me?

(The waiter approaches them holding a bottle of wine.)

Waiter: Pardon me. Beringer, private reserve?

Justin: Yes, thank you. Predictable? Hardly.

Phoebe: Right.

[Cut to the manor. Justin is outside waiting on the porch. Prue walks up the stairs.]

Prue: Hey, Justin.

Justin: Hey.

Prue: I thought that you already picked up Phoebe for lunch.

:

Justin: No, my car broke down, so I'm late.

(Prue walks inside and Justin follows.)

Prue: Piper!

Justin: Is something wrong?

Prue: I'm not sure.

Piper: What's up?

Prue: Where's Phoebe?

Piper: I don't know. At the restaurant, I guess.

Prue: Supposedly with Justin?

Piper: I saw him pick her up.

Prue: Yeah, so did I as I was leaving.

Justin: No, I just got here.

Prue: Okay, so you weren't the one who picked up Phoebe earlier?

Justin: No.

(Prue and Piper exchange looks.)

[Cut back to the restaurant. Justin pours some wine in Phoebe's glass.]

(Phoebe's phone rings. She goes to answer it but Justin stops her.)

Justin: How important can it be?

(She turns off her phone.)

Phoebe: What?

Justin: Can I ask you a favour?

Phoebe: _Sure._

Justin: Last night, when we kissed goodbye, it was, I don't know, not great.

Phoebe: Yeah.

Justin: How about we try it again, see if we can't do it a little better? Come on. What's the worst that could happen?

(They lean over and kiss. The surroundings change into Dantalian's altar. They end the kiss.)

Phoebe: Where am I? I can't move.

Justin: My apologies.

(Justin shapeshifts into Zile.)

Dantalian: So it's true. Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Dining room. Prue's at the table scrying for Phoebe. Piper comes in carrying the Book of Shadows.]

Piper: Find her?

Prue: Not yet.

Piper: We're screwed.

Prue: Not yet.

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Leo, what did you find out?

Leo: Nothing.

Prue: Okay, now we're screwed.

Piper: Nothing on the map, nothing in the Book. Leo, somebody must know _something_.

Leo: Well, the Elders support your shape-shifting warlock theory, but they can't get a clear read on the situation.

Prue: Wait, so Phoebe's vanished from your radar and something's jamming theirs?

Leo: Something like that. But she can't be dead. They'd be able to sense that no matter _how_ evil is interfering.

Prue: Okay, then what's going on? What are we up against?

Piper: Something powerful enough to keep us from finding her.

Leo: Well, you knew as your powers grew, that evil's would too.

Piper: Yeah, but so powerful that we can't figure out who they are, let enough how to fight them? That _sucks_.

Leo: What we need to figure out is why a warlock wants Phoebe alive.

Prue: Well, it can't just be for her powers. I mean, they wouldn't need to keep her alive to get them.

Leo: Unless it's an upper-level warlock which wants…

Prue: _All_ of our powers.

Piper: But we still have the same problem. No idea how to find her.

Leo: It's too bad you vanquished that demonic bounty hunter. He could've helped.

(Prue gets an idea.)

Prue: _Right._

(Prue stands up.)

Piper: Where are you going?

Prue: I have a hunch. Wait for me.

(Prue leaves the room.)

[Cut to Dantalian and Zile. Phoebe is dressed in black, laying on the altar. Dantalian covers Phoebe's face with a black veil.]

Dantalian: Shall we begin?

Zile: I'm ready.

Dantalian: I hope so. (She touches their foreheads.) In the beginning, we were damned, and through damnation, we found freedom, power, and purpose. As I unite you today, I remind you of those gifts. (Dantalian ties Zile and Phoebe's hands together.) And in your union, may these gifts increase, so your powers may grow, in the service of... evil. So be it.

Zile: How long before her transformation is complete?

Dantalian: Sundown. Can you wait that long?

Zile: For the power of the Charmed Ones? I can wait a few hours.

Dantalian: Let me be the first to congratulate you.

(She kisses him. He is affected by the potion.)

Zile: Why?

Dantalian: Because I'm tired of bestowing great power on others. The Halliwell Book of Shadows is the key to _unbelievable_ power... for _me_. Evil will spread from this sister to the other two, then from them to the Book, and once the Book is evil, it'll be mine, and I will be _unstoppable_. (She pushes Zile to lay down beside Phoebe.) But know this. I will enjoy killing _all of you_.

[Scene: Mausoleum. Prue runs in.]

Prue: Cole?! Cole?! Uh, please, if you can hear me, I-

(Cole shimmers in.)

Cole: I was beginning to think I'd never see you again.

Prue: I'm not here because of us. I need you to help me, and if you do, it doesn't change anything between us. You have to know that.

Cole: Hmm. I'm listening.

Prue: Phoebe was taken. By a warlock.

Cole: Do you know which one?

Prue: We think he's a shape-shifter, but the weird thing is, is nobody from our side could get a read on where he's hiding her.

Cole: Well, that doesn't make sense. Warlocks don't have that kind of power. He must be working with somebody that does. Certain dignitaries have the power to... shield their activities. Demonic judges, dark priests…. Anyone who needs privacy for rituals.

Prue: What kind of rituals? To accomplish what?

Cole: It's hard to say. Could be anything. They may want your Book. We all want your Book.

Prue: Really?

Cole: I wanted the Book... at first.

Prue: Well, how can we find out who wants it now?

Cole: I could check around, but I'd risk demons finding out I was still alive. I'm sure there's still a huge bounty on my head.

Prue: I want my sister back.

Cole: No matter the cost?

Prue: I want my sister back.

(He stands closer to her.)

Cole: I'm doing this for _you_. Know that. (Prue turns to leave but turns back around and kisses Cole passionately.) Now I'm really confused.

Prue: Me too. I, uh, I-I don't-I don't know where that came from.

Cole: Okay, uh, I better go.

Prue: Yeah.

Cole: Listen, if you don't hear back from me, I, um, I got caught.

(Cole shimmers out.)

[Cut to the manor. Piper is sitting on the couch flipping through the Book of Shadows. Leo sits down beside her.]

Leo: I thought you said there was nothing in the Book.

Piper: Well, now there's just a whole bunch of _weirdness_ in it. Look.

Leo: Hemlock killing spell? That doesn't belong in there.

Piper: But it does have possibilities.

Leo: Piper.

Piper: I'm sorry. I-I don't know what I was-

(Piper blinks out of the room and blinks back in the kitchen.)

Leo: Piper?

Piper: In here, somehow….!

(Leo walks in the kitchen.)

Leo: _You blinked._

Piper: I _did not_. Only warlocks do that.

Leo: Piper, _you did it_.

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Hey.

Piper: Where have you been?

Prue: Uh, brainstorming. How's it going here?

Leo: Your sister's blinking.

Prue: I-I'm-I'm sorry, _what_?

Piper: Okay, I admit it, it was definitely weird, but it was... kinda fun. I was-I was in there, and I was thinking about the kitchen, and then suddenly, boom! Here I was.

Prue: That is cool.

Leo: Except that it's a warlock's power.

Prue: _So_? They're always trying to get one of ours, it's about time we got one of theirs.

Piper: Try it, Prue.

Prue: Okay, what do I do? Just... think?

Piper: And blink.

(Prue blinks out of the kitchen and so does Piper.)

[Cut to another room in the house.]

Piper: Catch us if you can!

(Leo walks in.)

Prue: Have you tried it yet, Leo? It's a real head rush.

Leo: Do you realise how serious this is? You're _blinking_ , the Book is changing.

Piper: Maybe we're blinking because of the Book.

Leo: The Book is changing because of _you_. It is an _extension_ of you.

Piper: Huh. I should care about that, but I don't.

(Prue and Piper walk out of the room and Leo follows.)

Leo: This is what I was afraid of. Whoever's got Phoebe is somehow reaching you too.

Prue: Okay, Leo, I can tell that this really upsets you, but I gotta tell you, I really like this whole think-it-and-it-happens deal. I mean, just think of the time that we could save _not chanting_.

Piper: Mmm hmm.

Leo: Prue, Piper, you have to fight this.

(The doorbell rings.)

Piper: Or we could answer the door.

(Piper heads towards the door.)

Leo: For Phoebe's sake, _stop_.

Piper: Don't... tell me what to do.

Prue: _Ooh._

Leo: Prue, I need your help.

Prue: I am so tired of helping people.

(Piper opens the door and the planners are there.)

Female Planner: So glad you're home. We have some new floral sketches we'd like you to see.

Leo: Now's not really a good time.

Piper: They're welcome to come in, Leo.

Male Planner: I revisited the dinner menu, Piper, and you are going to be _thrilled_. I have some dynamic choices that I-

Piper: _I_ want pigs in blankets.

(The planners laugh.)

Female Planner: It's nice to see a bride who still has a sense of humour this close to the big day.

Piper: No…. I _want_ pigs in blankets.

(Piper turns the male planner into a pig dressed in a blanket. The female planner screams. Prue laughs.)

Prue: Marie seems very scared.

Piper: I always had her pegged as an ice queen.

Prue: Oh! What a great idea.

(Piper covers Marie in ice.)

Piper: Now there's a freezing power with _kick_.

Leo: Have you guys lost your minds?

Prue: Oh, Leo, get on board. Whatever it is, this is fabulous. You can't imagine the freedom, the power.

Leo: Prue, that is the evil talking. You have to fight it.

Prue: What did you ever see in him?

Piper: I don't know. He is kind of a stick in the mud, isn't he?

Prue: Oh, another great idea. May I?

Piper: Be my guest.

Leo: Alright, think about the power of three.

(Prue turns Leo into a stick in a bucket of mud.)

Prue: Oh.

Piper: Hmm.

Prue: Look at all the fun we've been missing.

Piper: And this is just the beginning.

Prue: See ya, Leo.

(They walk away.)

[Cut to the altar. Dantalian uncovers Phoebe's face.]

Dantalian: Just the beginning.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Piper walk into the foyer. Prue is holding a butcher's knife. They crouch down beside the pig.]

Prue: Oh, you know what? It's your wedding. Shouldn't the first kill be yours?

Piper: This is too easy. It's _boring_. I want to do something _bigger_.

(They stand up.)

Prue: Count me in.

Piper: You know, if what's happening to us is happening to Phoebe…

Prue: Then the power of three can be truly amazing. We have to find her.

Piper: But first we need to clean house.

(Piper changes the pig back into the male planner and unfreezes Marie.)

Male Planner: I'm sorry, (snorts) what were you saying?

Piper: You're _fired_!

(Using telekinesis, Prue opens the front door and the planners get pushed outside. She closes the door. Prue and Piper turn around.)

Prue: Oh, _no_. What are we gonna do with the stick in the mud?

Piper: Wait, I think we can have some fun with it.

(Piper changes the bucket back into Leo.)

Leo: What happened to Craig and Marie?

Piper: Oh, they flew right outta here. Scared the hell out of 'em.

Prue: Leo, we need to find Phoebe.

Leo: Good, Prue, focus on that. It'll help you resist the evil.

Prue: The only thing we're resisting is the desire to rip you to pieces and have you for lunch.

Piper: But if you help us find _Phoebe_ , we'll leave you alone, for the moment.

(The Elders call Leo.)

Prue: _Oh._

Piper: Oh, Leo, ignore them. What do they know? They're backing a losing team.

Leo: They're revoking my assignment.

Piper: _What_? They can't do that. You haven't done anything wrong. Yet.

Leo: No, you did. You gave into evil. You've relinquished your right to a Whitelighter. I'm sorry.

(He orbs out.)

Prue: Well.

Piper: Oh, no, he's gone. We're _free_.

Prue: Yes.

Piper: No more obeying the rules, considering the consequences, none of that _crap_.

Prue: Time to find Phoebe and go for broke.

(Prue heads upstairs.)

Piper: Where are you going?

Prue: Well, I can't wreak havoc dressed like this.

Piper: Oh.

(Piper looks down at what she's wearing.)

[Cut to Prue's room. Prue walks in. Cole comes out from behind the door and closes it. Prue turns around.]

Cole: Prue.

Prue: Cole, you're okay.

Cole: Yeah, barely.

Prue: Any demons spot you?

Cole: Just one.

Prue: Oh no.

Cole: Don't worry. He won't be telling anybody anything.

Prue: The big bad Belthazor strikes again.

Cole: Not anything I'm proud of.

Prue: Why not? You should be.

(Prue kisses him.)

Cole: Prue, if what I found out is true, Phoebe's in serious trouble. She's been forced to marry a warlock.

Prue: Figures that bitch would steal Piper's thunder.

Cole: No, you don't understand. A high-level priestess named Dantalian is rumoured to have married them. And she's got the power to turn Phoebe evil, and turn you evil too. That's what's happening here.

Prue: So? Isn't that the way you want me?

(Prue kisses him passionately.)

Cole: Mmm, no. That is _not_ how I want you to be. It's not how I want _us_ to be. Our only chance is if we're both... good.

Prue: Love is love.

Cole: There's no such thing as evil love, Prue. It's just gratification, lust.

Prue: You know what, Cole? Your human half is kind of preachy. I think I want Belthazor back.

Cole: He's not coming back.

Prue: Oh, no? (Prue knees him in the stomach.) I! (kicks him) want! (kicks him) Belthazor! (kicks him. Cole turns into Belthazor.) That's more like it.

(Piper knocks on the door.)

Piper: Prue?! What are you doing?!

Belthazor: Dantalian's coming for your book. You'd better be ready.

(Belthazor shimmers out. Piper walks in.)

Piper: What's going on in here?

Prue: Nothing, unfortunately.

Piper: I heard voices.

Prue: Oh, did you? We gotta go. The high priestess that has Phoebe? Supposedly she's coming here.

(Prue walks out of her room.)

Piper: High prie…. Okay.

[Cut to the altar. Dantalian is chanting.]

[Cut to the attic. The triquetra on the Book of Shadows glows.]

[Cut back to the altar.]

Dantalian: It's time.

[Cut back to the attic. Dantalian fades in. She picks up the Book of Shadows.]

Dantalian: That was easy.

Piper: _Too_ easy. (Prue kicks Dantalian from behind. She falls to the floor. Prue and Piper walk over to her. Prue is holding a knife.) Where's our sister?

Dantalian: I can help you. I can teach you evil. You're new at it. You don't know how to realize its full potential.

Piper: I don't know, I think we're getting the hang of it.

Prue: Wanna see?

(Prue holds the knife closer.)

Piper: Where's Phoebe?

Dantalian: Kill me and you'll never see her again.

Piper: Hmm, so maybe we should just _torture you_ instead.

(Piper stands on Dantalian's arm and turns her hand into ice. Dantalian screams.)

Prue: Why don't you just... shatter her hand and see what happens.

(Piper picks up a candlestick.)

Piper: Last chance. Fine.

(Piper smashes her hand with the candlestick. Dantalian screams in pain.)

Prue: Now the really weird thing is, is that we could do that to the _other_ hand, and then go down to your _feet_ ….

Piper: Actually, we could just work up, piece by piece, all the way up to her head.

Prue: Where is Phoebe?

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: I just couldn't leave like that, Piper. (Prue and Piper turn to Leo. Dantalian grabs the Book and fades out.) What's... going on?

Prue: Well, you just helped her to _escape_ , _that's_ what's going on.

(Piper turns him into ice.)

Piper: Smash him. (Prue hands Piper the knife. Prue kicks Leo and he smashes into a million little pieces.) _Bastard._

Commercial Break

[Scene: Altar. Dantalian is frantically flipping through the Book of Shadows.]

Dantalian: Death alone will not suffice, my dear bride. Not anymore, not after this. (She finds a page in the Book on Dark Priestesses.) Yes. _Welcome to my hell._

[Cut to the manor. Prue and Piper are walking down the stairs.]

Piper: So what are we supposed to do now?

Prue: I don't know. Kill innocents?

Piper: No, I mean about Phoebe. How are we supposed to find her without the Book?

Prue: Shouldn't you be mourning the loss of your beloved Leo?

Piper: Oh, Prue, I'm _serious_. That was one pissed off priestess. And if she kills Phoebe, she takes the evil power of three along with her, and we don't stand a chance.

Prue: Good point. We have to find Phoebe. Wait a minute, we're warlocks, right? We should be able to blink wherever we want.

Piper: But we don't know where to blink to.

Prue: We don't have to know where, just _to who_. To _Phoebe_. I mean, isn't that how Leo's orbing power worked?

Piper: Yeah, but his power was jammed. He couldn't find her.

Prue: That's because he was good, and we're evil.

[Cut to the altar.]

Dantalian: "Through this book, weave this spell/Create the pain of heaven to hell/May she suffer-"

(Prue and Piper blink in.)

Piper: Whoa. Are we there yet?

(They see Phoebe.)

Prue: Phoebe.

Dantalian: You're too late. I've got the book.

Prue: Yeah, well, you know, it takes a while to learn how to use it. Trust us.

Piper: How about, in the meantime, I freeze your head and shatter it?

(Dantalian chants.)

Dantalian: I may not be powerful enough to fight you yet, but _they_ are.

(Phoebe and Zile awaken.)

Piper: Whoa, Phoebe, hey, hi. You don't look so good.

Prue: Oh, but that's a great dress.

Dantalian: Zile, Phoebe. Eliminate them.

Piper: Phoebe, ignore her. Come on, come with us. We're your sisters.

Phoebe: I'm his wife, not your sister.

(Phoebe uses telekinesis on them.)

Piper: Alright, I'll take that as a _no_.

Prue: Okay, we have to figure out a way to get Phoebe on our side and _fast_.

Piper: How about we get her a divorce?

(Zile shape-shifts into Phoebe. They blink out of the scene and then reappear in different places.)

Dantalian: Don't want to shatter the wrong sister, now do you?

Phoebe #1: I love you.

Phoebe #2: You too.

Piper: Welcome to Planet _Narcissus_.

Prue: Wait a minute. Cole said that evil can't love.

Piper: _Cole_?

Prue: Uh, never mind. The point is she didn't say 'I love you too'. (Dantalian makes daggers appear in Phoebe's and Zile's hands. They walk towards Prue and Piper. Prue points to a Phoebe.) Uh, she's the warlock. Freeze her! (Piper turns the Phoebe into ice.) Well, _shatter her_. _Hurry_!

Dantalian: No! Zile!

(Piper kicks the frozen Phoebe and shatters her. The spell is broken.)

Phoebe: What's going on?

Prue: I think we're back. All of us.

(Piper freezes Dantalian.)

Piper: The book is back too.

Prue: Let's go do something good with it.

(They walk over to the Book and find a spell.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Powers of light/Magic of right/Cast this blight/Into forever's night."

(Dantalian screams and is vanquished.)

Phoebe: Well, that was a wedding from hell.

Piper: Oh, no. Leo.

Phoebe: What?

Prue: We killed him.

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe enter the attic. Piper is crying. She kneels on the floor.]

Piper: Oh, Leo. (Leo orbs in. Phoebe turns Piper around. Piper gets up and hugs him.) Oh, thank god you're okay.

Leo: Actually, it had more to do with what you guys did. Vanquishing Zile broke the bond and reversed all the evil you had done.

Prue: I just hope the wedding planners don't remember what we did to them.

Leo: Unfortunately, they will, but I doubt they'll believe what happened.

Piper: And unfortunately you will.

Prue: Oh, yeah, Leo, sorry we killed you.

Leo: It's okay, Prue, it wasn't the real you. Or you, Piper.

Prue: Wasn't it? I mean, on some level, it was me. I felt it. They didn't just plant evil inside of me, or _us_ , for that matter. There had to be something there for them to turn to begin with.

Leo: That doesn't make you evil, Prue. You have to _choose_ to be evil voluntarily.

Prue: Well, I gotta admit it, it was kind of fun.

Piper: Prue….

Prue: Well, it was fun for a while. I mean, to be able to do _whatever_ we wanted, _whenever_ we wanted, with no consequences.

Piper: My fiancé being shattered into a gazillion pieces is kind of a consequence.

Leo: Thank you.

Piper: Mm.

Phoebe: Still, I kinda understand what Prue is saying.

(They all walk out of the attic and down the stairs.)

Prue: Wait, you do?

Phoebe: Mmm hmm.

Prue: Am I detecting a thaw in our rift?

Phoebe: All I'm saying is if evil weren't enticing, why would there be any? I mean, you know, to pretend that we're never attracted to it, it's like pretending that it just doesn't exist.

Prue: Uh-oh, something tells me Cole's name is about to be brought up.

Phoebe: Look, I definitely do not like the fact that you lied to us about vanquishing him, but I have to admit, after taking a trip down the dark side, I sort of understand it a little better. The problem now is that I realise that Justin is just _so_ boring.

Leo: Well, scratch one name off of the wedding guest list.

Piper: Actually, scratch them all. I cave. Our lives are just way too bizarre to have any sort of _normal_ wedding. I don't know what I was thinking. Prue, by the way, you never mentioned how you knew about Dantalian and saved our butts.

Prue: What? Oh. Right. Um, you know, something tells me that you wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway. So let's just say that I... got in touch with my evil side. Something that I will never do again.

[Scene: Mausoleum. Prue walks in. Cole is waiting there.]

Cole: How'd it go?

Prue: Everything's back to normal again.

Cole: Good.

Prue: Yeah. Good.

Cole: It's not enough, is it? What I did doesn't change your mind about us, does it?

Prue: No.

Cole: Why not?

Prue: It's too complicated.

Cole: Oh, don't give me that. If nothing else, let's at least be honest with each other. We owe that.

(Prue sighs.)

Prue: I love you, and I will always love you. Nothing can change that. It's just... the temptation... it's too much. And I can't take that risk, for me _or_ my sisters.

Cole: Prue, I'm telling you, I'm not evil anymore.

Prue: Maybe not on the surface, and maybe not even in your heart. But somewhere inside of you, you will always be, and you can't ever change that. Goodbye.

(Prue starts to leave.)

Cole: I'm not giving up, Prue! (Prue leaves.) I'm not going away.


	14. The Good, the Bad and the Cursed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** I know that everyone has been waiting for this one. So I hope that you enjoy it. :)

 **The Good, the Bad and the Cursed**

[Scene: A ghost town. A car pulls up. Phoebe and Victor get out. He puts his arm around her and they start walking.]

Phoebe: Alright, Dad, spill it. What are we doing here?

Victor: What, can't a father spend a little quality time with his daughter? Especially after all the time we've been apart.

Phoebe: Alright, I take after you, okay. I've inherited all of your tricks, especially your fine art of _fibbing_.

Victor: I don't know what you're talking about. Tell me a little bit more about this Leo fellow anyway. How did he and Piper meet?

Phoebe: Oh, it was a couple of years ago at the house. He was our handyman.

Victor: Piper's marrying a handyman?

Phoebe: Well, no, he isn't _really_ a handyman. Wait, you _do_ know that-

Victor: All I know is that he's a nice enough guy who seems to know the big bad secret. Trust me, it's a lot better for a mortal to know he's marrying a witch _before_ the wedding instead of after. Wish I had.

Phoebe: _Mortal_. _Right_.

(Phoebe hears a noise coming from one of the buildings. She looks around. Tumbleweed rolls past and a door slams shut.)

Victor: What?

Phoebe: It's nothing. I guess that's why they call it a ghost town, huh?

Victor: What do you mean? Did you actually see something?

Phoebe: What do _you_ mean?

Victor: I mean, like a premonition, or whatever you call it. _Alright_ , I confess. I brought you here hoping maybe you could give me a little bit of your... help. I just didn't know how to ask.

Phoebe: _Magical_ help? Dad….

Victor: Well, this place seemed like such a good investment. _Too_ good, actually. Made me think that all the stories were true.

Phoebe: I'm biting. What stories?

Victor: _Ghost_ stories. Something's been keeping people from investing and razing this place for over a hundred years.

Phoebe: So, what, you want me to do a little _supernatural inspection_?

Victor: Well, yeah. I thought you could do a little Feng Shui on the place and maybe see if there's anything going on.

Phoebe: Okay, first of all, I don't _do Feng Shui_ , and secondly, I can't always get a premonition when I want to. (She hears another noise.) Okay, now I _definitely_ heard that.

Victor: Heard what?

(She hears a glass bottle being smashed.)

Phoebe: Okay, you didn't hear that?

(Suddenly, a cowboy (Bo) gets thrown out of a saloon. Another cowboy walks out.)

Cowboy: You're a dead man, Bo.

Phoebe: Can you see them?

Victor: _See who?_

Phoebe: (to cowboys) Hey! Hey, what's going on?!

Cowboy: Nobody crosses Mr. Sutter.

(The cowboy hits Bo in the face. He flies back right through Phoebe. He runs off and the cowboy shoots at him. They disappear.)

Victor: Phoebe? Phoebe, what's going on? Sweetheart, you're bleeding.

Phoebe: I wouldn't buy the place, Dad. Really, really bad _Feng Shui_.

(She touches her bleeding lip with a handkerchief. A crow squawks nearby.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Piper has set the table. Prue comes in.]

Prue: Uh, wait a minute. We have one too many place settings.

Piper: No, we don't.

Prue: Okay, uh, you, me, Leo, Phoebe, Dad. That's five, we have six.

Piper: So?

Prue: So who is the sixth for?

Piper: Mmm, maybe, um, mom. _What_? It's my wedding. At least she could be here in spirit, if nothing else.

Prue: Yes, she can be.

(Prue gives her a little hug. Leo orbs in.)

Leo: Wow, looks great. When do we eat?

Piper: Leo, can't you see we're having a sister moment?

Leo: Oh, sorry. Do you want me to go?

Piper: _No_ , I want you to _help_. This is _your_ rehearsal dinner too, you know.

Prue: So, Leo, you nervous? I mean, only one more week before dum, dum, dum-dum.

Piper: Thanks.

Leo: Well, as long as no demons come bursting through that door until then, I'm fine.

Victor: (from outside) Prue! Piper!

(Victor and Phoebe walk through the front door.)

Piper: (to Leo) You _had_ to jinx it.

Prue: Hey. Phoebe, what happened?

Phoebe: Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine. I just need an aspirin.

Piper: Dad?!

Victor: I don't know what happened. One minute we're just walking around, the next thing I know she's bleeding.

Phoebe: I got into a bar brawl. Well, actually, I didn't. Two cowboys did. Bo and some other guy. I didn't catch his name, but I think he was the bad guy, 'cause he was wearing a black hat. Oh, and they were transparent.

Piper: She must have hit her head.

Prue: Uh-huh.

Victor: Sweetheart, I never would have taken you there if I had any idea.

Phoebe: It's fine, Dad. Really, don't worry about it.

Leo: Here, let me take care of that.

(Leo holds out his healing hand but Phoebe stops him.)

Phoebe: No, I'm alright. Dad, why don't you go to the porch and get those town files. You know, maybe there's something in them that can help us.

Victor: Alright.

(He goes outside.)

Phoebe: Dad doesn't know that Leo is a Whitelighter.

Prue/Leo: _What?_

Piper: Well, I've been meaning to tell him, but considering mom had an _affair_ with her Whitelighter, I didn't think he'd be really receptive to the idea.

Leo: Piper, he is going to _kill_ me when he finds out.

Piper: Oh, don't be ridiculous, you're already dead.

(Victor comes back in carrying a box of files.)

Victor: Just a lot of investment stuff and background info. I don't see how it's gonna help you find out what happened.

Phoebe: Well, you're the one that called it a ghost town, and since Bo fell through me and I ended up with the same split lip that he had….

Prue: Sounds like a ghost to me.

Leo: It can't be. Ghosts don't bleed.

Piper: Ahem.

Leo: I mean, so I've... read in books. Obviously it's not my area of expertise.

Victor: Mine, either. So what do you say we leave the supernatural stuff to the pros and go grab a bite?

Leo: I don't know, Mr. Bennett.

Prue: Oh.

(Prue and Piper smile. Prue pats Leo on his back.)

Victor: Victor, please. It's time you called me Victor, son. Come on.

Phoebe: I'm fine. Go ahead.

(Victor and Leo head outside.)

Piper: Great, now _I'm_ dead.

Prue: Alright, why don't we just focus on Phoebe and try and figure out what happened.

Phoebe: I'll get the book.

Piper: _I'll_ get it, and maybe a drink.

Phoebe: Ow.

[Cut to a restaurant. Leo and Victor are sitting at a table. A very nervous Leo is gulping down a glass of water.]

Victor: So, Phoebe says you're a handyman.

Leo: _Oh_? Uh, actually, no. I'm a-I'm a doctor. I mean, not a _doctor_ doctor, _per se_. More of, like, a counselor doctor. I guide people.

Victor: You make good money?

Leo: Uh, honestly, no. It's more of a calling.

Victor: Leo, I think it's time to come clean.

Leo: You do?

Victor: Yeah. I need to talk to you about something man to man.

Leo: Man to man?

Victor: Well, from one mortal to another. Leo, it's not easy being married to a witch.

Leo: No?

Victor: That's why my marriage to Piper's mother didn't work out. It wasn't because I didn't love her, it was because I wasn't prepared for what was to come.

Leo: Well, I think I'm prepared, sir... I mean, Victor.

Victor: Don't get me wrong, Leo. I want this marriage to succeed. _That's_ why I'm warning you. But there are dangers out there worse than demons and warlocks. You do know about _them_ , don't you?

Leo: Well, yeah, sure.

Victor: Well, the dangers I'm talking about, you're not even gonna see coming. The thing I'm talking about will just _sneak up_ on you and destroy your marriage if you're not careful. Leo, do you know what a Whitelighter is?

Leo: Uh….

[Cut back to the manor. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are in the living room. Piper's looking through the Book of Shadows. Phoebe's lying on the couch. She pulls up the bottom of her blouse to reveal a big bruise.]

Phoebe: Whoa.

Prue: What?

Phoebe: Look. I have a huge bruise. (Prue touches it gently.) _Ow_.

Prue: Oh. Alright, well, you must have gotten that the same way that you got the split lip, from Bo.

Phoebe: I don't get it. _He_ gets beat up and _I_ get his symptoms? How is that possible?

Piper: I wish I knew what I was looking for. I mean, if they're not ghosts, then what are they?

Prue: Well, whatever it is, it's got something to do with the history of that town. You said that they were dressed like cowboys, right?

Phoebe: Yeah, real cowboys, right out of the Old West. Uh, the outlaw said something to Bo about a guy named Sutter. Look him up. Maybe he's a demon.

Prue: Wait a minute.

Piper: Did you find something?

Prue: It's more of what I'm _not_ finding. Alright, _nothing_ is dated past April 25th, 1873. The maps, the land grants, death certificates. It's almost like time just stopped.

Piper: What do you mean stopped? Like, everybody just died?

Prue: No, like stopped _moving forward_ , literally. It wouldn't be the first time we've come across a time loop.

Phoebe: Nah, we vanquished that demon.

Piper: Wait a minute. (Piper turns to a Time Loop page in the Book.) Well, maybe it's not a demon. Maybe it's a curse. 'Certain spiritual traditions believe that a great evil or great injustice can be cursed into a time loop until righted.'

Phoebe: So that is probably why this is happening to me. Our job is to right the wrong.

Prue: Yeah, well, we better do it before your symptoms get any worse. (The doorbell rings.) I'll get that.

(Prue gets up and answers the door. Cole stands there holding a bouquet of flowers. He looks unshaven. He walks into the foyer.)

Prue: Cole, what….?

Cole: Hey, Prue.

(Prue uses her power on him and he flies across the room, landing on a small table. Piper and Phoebe jump up from the couch.)

Phoebe: What the….?

(Prue goes over to him. Cole stands back up.)

Cole: Oh, phew. (He shows Prue the flowers.) These are for you.

(Prue pushes them away.)

Prue: What the hell are you doing here? Do you have some kind of a death wish?

Cole: I told you last week that I wasn't giving up on you and I-I meant it.

Piper: You talked to Prue? He _talked_ to you?

Cole: Uh-huh.

Phoebe: You said that he was _alive_. You never said that he was _back_.

Prue: It didn't matter, because as I told _him_ , I don't want anything to do with him anymore. But apparently he needs a reminder.

(Prue goes to use her power on him but Piper stops her.)

Piper: Hey, hey, hey! I just _set_ that table. We don't have time to buy a new one before dinner.

Cole: I'm not gonna use my powers against you anyway. In fact, I'm never gonna use them again, ever. It keeps me from being evil.

Prue: No, you will always be evil, you're a demon.

Cole: _Half_ -demon. My human half can suppress it if-

Phoebe: You know what, Cole? Why don't you do yourself a favor and just get-?

(Phoebe has a premonition. In it, the cowboy shoots Bo. Bo throws a knife at the cowboy and he falls to the ground. The premonition ends.)

Piper: Phoebe?

(Phoebe falls and Prue and Piper catch her.)

Prue: Phoebe, what happened?

(Phoebe lifts her hand. It is covered in blood.)

Phoebe: I think... I've been shot.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Restaurant. Leo and Victor are still there.]

Victor: The thing is, they can orb into their charges' lives any time of the day or night... (He pauses as a waitress tops up his coffee.) … without us mortals even knowing about it. You can't trust the Whitelighters, Leo. They're sneaky little bastards.

Leo: Really? 'Cause Piper says that they're really, really good guys. More of, like, guardian angels.

Victor: That's the party line, Leo, but don't believe it. You can't trust 'em. They have this tendency to fall in love with their charges. Before you know it, they've stolen your wife. The girls' mother, Patty? She fell for her Whitelighter.

Leo: Oh, I thought that happened after you two separated?

Victor: Oh, he was putting the moves on her _long_ before we split up, believe me. Anyway, you know, we never had a chance to get back together because of him. And, um, you know, then she died. Look, my point is, if you wanna-

(The Elders call Leo.)

Leo: Uh-oh.

Victor: What?

Leo: I have to go, now.

Victor: _Go?_

Leo: Yeah, and I don't think you're gonna like the way that I have to go, either.

(Leo orbs out. Victor sits there in shock.)

[Cut to the manor. Leo orbs in.]

Leo: What the hell are you doing here?

Prue: Forget about him, Leo. Phoebe's been shot.

Leo: _Shot_? How did that happen?

Prue: There's no time to explain. Can you heal her?

(Leo starts to heal her.)

Piper: Where's Dad?

Leo: _Seething_ probably.

(Leo continues to try and heal her but it doesn't work.)

Piper: What's the matter, Leo? Why isn't it working?

Leo: I don't know. Phoebe, you gotta tell me exactly how this happened.

Phoebe: Um, I don't-I don't really know. I had a-a premonition, and I felt Bo get shot, and then I came out of it.

Prue: Leo, can you heal her?

Leo: No, because Phoebe wasn't the one that was shot. Bo was.

Piper: What are you talking about? She's _bleeding_.

Leo: I know, but it's more like a psychic echo. Phoebe is _linked_ to Bo somehow. Whatever he feels, whatever happens to him, happens to her.

Cole: Which means Bo must be magical too. The only way they can be linked is through their magic.

Leo: I agree.

Cole: We have to find Bo. Heal him. It's the only way.

Piper: Well, he's been cursed into a time loop along with the rest of the town. And we don't know how to get there, let alone where _there_ is.

Cole: Well, it's gotta be a parallel plane existing in the same physical space as the town.

Prue: You know, I don't think that we need any demonic input right now.

Cole: If I can help save Phoebe's life, don't you think you do?

Leo: We're listening.

Cole: Look, I move through different planes all the time. It's how I've been hiding from the Source. Shouldn't be any problem to shimmer into Bo's plane and bring him back here so you can heal him.

Piper: You said you don't use your powers anymore.

Cole: Shimmering isn't a lethal power.

Phoebe: Uh, why don't you just take Leo with you and you can heal Bo there?

Leo: I can't. I'm not allowed to work with a demon.

Prue: Fine. I'll go.

Piper: Prue, what if something goes wrong and you get stuck in the time loop and you don't get back before midnight?

Prue: It's not the time loop I'm worried about. Look, why don't you and Leo go to the town, see if you can find anything there to help break the curse. (to Phoebe) You? You hang in there, okay?

Cole: Gotta hold my hand.

(Prue holds his hand and they shimmer out. Victor storms in.)

Victor: Leo! You lying little piece of-!

(Piper quickly stands in front of Leo.)

Piper: Okay, Dad, not now. Stay with Phoebe. We'll be back.

(Leo holds Piper and they orb out.)

Victor: Wha….?

Phoebe: Well, don't get mad at me, I've been shot.

[Cut to the ghost town in 1873. Cole and Prue shimmer in.]

Prue: Oh, wow, it worked.

Cole: You doubted me?

Prue: Yeah, well, for all I know you were gonna take me- Whoa! Aah! (They hear a gunshot and Cole pins Prue against a wall of a building.) _Okay_.

Cole: Welcome to the Wild, Wild West.

Prue: Alright, just-just so we're clear, I'm in charge here. You're just my ride.

Cole: Fine with me. What's your plan?

Prue: Find Bo, lay low.

Cole: _That's_ a plan?

Prue: Yeah. You got a better one?

(Cole looks her up and down.)

Cole: Maybe, but first I think we better find something a little less conspicuous to wear.

(Prue pushes him away.)

Prue: Fine. Agreed. Any ideas?

(A couple of cowboys carry a dead cowboy out of a building.)

Cole: Yeah. Nothing you're gonna like though.

[Time lapse. Prue and Cole walk into a saloon wearing cowboy clothes.]

Cole: Still think you should have worn that pretty little red dress drying on the line.

Prue: Yeah, it was a prostitute's dress. Not exactly the kind of impression I wanted to make. At least I'm not wearing some dead guy's clothes.

Cole: Hey, I thought you'd be pleased. At least I'm playing the role of a good guy.

Prue: Yeah, right. Alright, just fact-finding. No getting involved.

(They walk up to the bar.)

Bartender: What'll it be?

Prue: Hi. Moonshine.

Bartender: A what?

Cole: She means Whiskey. Make it two. Leave the bottle. (to Prue) You watch too many old movies.

Bartender: Passing through?

Cole: Maybe.

Bartender: Maybe if you're not, you ought to consider it. Things are getting pretty dangerous around here. Friendly advice? Wet your whistle, get back on your horses, and move on as fast as you can.

Prue: Hi. What am I? A potted plant? Talk to me. What's so dangerous?

Bartender: It's nothing to concern your pretty little head about.

Prue: Okay, now _that's_ condescending.

Cole: Lay low, remember?

Prue: _Fine._

Cole: You were saying?

Bartender: There's some trouble between a powerful man in town-

Prue: Sutter?

Bartender: How do you know about Sutter?

Prue: This pretty little head knows a lot. So, why don't you talk to _both of us_ now? Tell us what's going on.

Bartender: One of Sutter's men just got killed and now there's gonna be hell to pay.

(Three cowboys walk in the saloon. Everyone turns to look. Sutter walks in behind them.)

Sutter: Where is he? Just so you know, I've already taken the liberty to print up the evening edition. (Sutter holds up a newspaper with the headline "Half-breed to Die at Sundown".) Just so you know how serious this is. All the news that's fit to print. (He turns to Isabel, Bo's sister.) You know where your little brother's hiding, now don't you?

Isabel: Even if I did, I'd never tell you. I'm not afraid of you, Mr. Sutter.

Sutter: Well, if you were smart, you'd be. Of course your kind are not, are they?

(Prue starts to go over but Cole stops her.)

Cole: Hold it. Plan is not to get involved.

(Sutter turns to Cal.)

Cal: I haven't seen Bo, Mr. Sutter. I swear. Not since he took off.

Sutter: You know, you lie to me again, Cal, and I'll do worse than this.

(He holds up a whip. A cowboy stabs Cal's hand with a knife. Prue rushes over and pushes the cowboy away. She takes off her scarf and wraps it around Cal's hand.)

Prue: What the hell is wrong with you people?

Sutter: Well, well, well. What do we got here?

Cole: Uh, Prue?

Sutter: Lady, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but you obviously don't have the slightest idea who you're dealing with.

Prue: Oh, please, what a cliché.

(The cowboy stands up.)

Cowboy: I usually don't hit women, but seeing as you're dressed like a man, I imagine I can make an exception.

(Prue blocks his punch and smashes a whiskey bottle over his head. Prue gets out her gun and shoots at the cowboy's rifle, making it fly out of his hand. Cole pulls out a rifle and aims is at the men.)

Cole: Don't.

Sutter: No. We'll deal with these two later, after we take out Bo. One of you know where he's at. And if you don't tell me, I'm gonna burn this town to the ground looking for him.

(They leave.)

Cole: So much for laying low.

Prue: Yeah.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Saloon. Prue, Cole, and Isabel walk outside.]

Isabel: Sutter's in tight with the railroads. He came here a couple of months ago promising to bring the tracks through and make it more than just an old mining town.

Prue: In exchange for what?

Isabel: A piece of everything. The mines, the bank, the newspaper. When folks started resisting, his boys took over. At first everybody stood up to them, but after they killed the sheriff…. Cowards.

Cole: Why's Sutter after your brother?

Isabel: Because Bo wouldn't back down. He kept on fighting, trying to get everybody to take back the town.

Cole: Sounds like a brave man.

Isabel: He is. Too bad the others aren't.

Prue: Isabel, we know that Bo is injured. We know that he's been shot. We can help you, but you have to trust us.

Isabel: I do. Bo said you'd come.

Cole: How's that again?

Isabel: Bo, he saw it in one of his dreams. He said that two strangers would come, so, um, I knew.

Prue: Alright, so wait a second, Bo has dreams about the future?

Isabel: Yeah. He has the gift. He inherited it from our father, who was a great medicine man. His name was Soaring Crow.

Prue: _Was?_

Isabel: He died when we were young. When we moved here, my mother wouldn't allow Bo to talk about his gift. She knew that magic was considered evil in the white man's world.

Prue: Yeah, I know what it's like to have a gift that you have to keep a secret.

Cole: And to live in a place where you have to hide half of who you are.

Isabel: Come. I'll take you to Bo. Come.

(They walk over to three horses.)

Cole: Uh, where'd you get the horses?

Isabel: I told you. I was expecting you.

(They get on the horses. They ride off. Cal gets on his horse and follows.)

[Scene: Ghost town in the present. Piper and Leo are there looking around.]

Piper: I don't know what we're supposed to be looking for. _Yuck_.

Leo: Well, we gotta keep looking, find something that might help us break the curse.

Piper: Like _what_? There's nothing here but spiders, lizards... and a stupid old crow.

Leo: Oh, come on, let's keep looking. After all, we got a rehearsal dinner to get back to.

Piper: There's not gonna _be_ a rehearsal dinner, _or_ a wedding, if we don't find a way to save Phoebe.

(The crow lands on the saloon.)

Leo: What is it?

Piper: Phoebe said Bo got into a fight in a bar, right? So that would be the saloon.

Leo: Makes sense. It's a western.

Piper: So it's _always_ the saloon.

(They walk into the saloon. Piper goes behind the bar. Leo looks at a bottle.)

Leo: Hankins Nerve Tonic, calms raw nerves. Think I should bring a bottle back for your dad?

Piper: I don't think that'll do it. There's nothing, there's nothing here. Great brainstorm, huh?

Leo: Actually, I think it was. Look.

(Piper picks up an old newspaper.)

Piper: 'Half-breed to die at sundown'?

Leo: On that same date, 1873. Read who's gonna die.

Piper: Bo Lightfeather.

Leo: We've got to find a way to warn Prue and Cole that they don't have until midnight.

Piper: Which means neither does Phoebe.

[Cut to the manor. Phoebe is lying on the couch. Victor brings her a glass of water.]

Victor: Here you go. Drink up. (She drinks the water.) What is it?

Phoebe: It's nothing.

Victor: Hey, I didn't come back into your lives just to be kept in the dark. I'm your dad, you can tell me anything.

(She starts to shake.)

Phoebe: I'm dying.

Victor: Oh, come on.

Phoebe: No, I can feel what's happening to me. It's like a... something that you can feel deep inside of you. I-I can't explain it.

Victor: Your sisters are not going to let that happen, _I_ am not going to let that happen.

(Leo and Piper orb in.)

Piper: How is she?

Victor: She's gonna be fine.

Piper: Okay, we have to hurry. We found out Bo dies at sundown, except I don't think that Prue knows that.

Leo: But we have an idea of how to let her know. Phoebe, if you're getting visions from Bo, maybe he can get one from you.

Phoebe: I don't understand.

Piper: Phoebe, if you can will yourself to get a premonition about Bo's death, he might be able to see it too, and then he can tell Prue and Cole that they _don't_ have as much time as they think they do.

Victor: But I thought you said you couldn't always get premonitions when you wanted.

Phoebe: I can't.

Piper: You can try.

(Piper hands Phoebe the newspaper and Phoebe holds it against herself.)

[Scene: 1873. Cole and Prue are following Isabel to Bo's hideout.]

Cole: Any idea what we should say to him?

Prue: We're not going to say anything. I'll do the talking.

Cole: You know, it wouldn't kill you to be... _nice_ to me.

Prue: Really? It's funny you should say that, considering how many times you actually _tried_ to kill me.

Cole: That's all in the past, Prue, and you know that.

Prue: Right. After all this is done, you need to leave us alone. Otherwise, we'll have to do to you what we should have done in the first place, which is vanquish you.

Cole: Then that's what you're going to have to do because it's the only way you're going to keep me away from you.

Prue: Cole. I just don't know how I'm supposed to trust you.

Cole: You can trust me because I _love_ you. I took a huge risk to come here and try and prove myself to you, so I will do _whatever it takes_ to save your sister's life.

Prue: I understand.

Cole: Do you?

Prue: Yeah. Because I love you as much as you love me.

(Isabel returns to Prue and Cole.)

Isabel: Are you guys ready to go in?

(They walk into the small building. It looks like an old church. Bo is lying in the corner. He is holding a cloth against his wound.)

Isabel: He's very weak. I tried to pull the bullet out, but it's in too deep. Bo. Bo. How are you doing?

Bo: What's the matter with you? Who the hell are they?

Isabel: It's okay. They've come to help.

Prue: Just like in your vision, remember?

Bo: I don't know what you're talking about.

Isabel: Bo, I told them.

Bo: _Too much_ apparently. We don't need your help. Just leave now.

Prue: Bo, my sister gets visions too, and she had one of you getting shot, alright? We're here to help you. And help her.

(Bo pulls out a knife.)

Bo: It's a _trick_. Sutter sent you. I know he did.

Isabel: No, they _stood up_ to Sutter. You should have seen it.

Bo: Just get out of here!

Prue: Bo, this isn't just about you, alright? My sister will die too. This _whole town_ will if you don't let us help you.

Isabel: They think that something Sutter is going to do will trigger a curse. The kind that father used to speak about.

Prue: If we show you that we have gifts too, will you trust us then? (to Cole) Show him.

Cole: Show him what?

Prue: Your gift. Show him your gift.

(Cole shimmers out and then shimmers back in.)

[Cut to Sutter. He breaks a bottle with his whip. Three cowboys walk in.]

Sutter: This better be good.

Cowboy: We couldn't find him, boss.

Sutter: Now you listen to me and you listen real good. Bo's giving the townsfolk ideas and I don't want 'em getting ideas.

Cowboy #2: No one knows where he's at, and if they do, they ain't talking.

Sutter: Well, you _make 'em_ talk. This town is mine and it's gonna stay mine. When that railroad comes through, and mark my words it will, I'm selling this land, and that land's gonna be worth more than any of you three are capable of imagining. (Cal walks in.) You better have something useful to tell me, Cal.

Cal: I know where Bo is hiding.

Sutter: Finally. Someone knows what's good for him.

[Cut back to the church. Prue takes off her gloves.]

Prue: Alright, the first thing that we need to do is to get that bullet out of you. (She kneels down beside him.) Uh, this is gonna hurt.

(Prue takes the cloth off of his wound. She uses her power to remove the bullet. Bo and Phoebe yell in pain. They receive a premonition of Sutter whipping Bo. Isabel is being restrained. Sutter then shoots Bo. The premonition ends.)

Bo: I believe you.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Phoebe is crying hysterically. Piper is trying to calm her down.]

Piper: It's okay, you're okay. Take a deep breath.

Phoebe: I saw what they're gonna do to Bo! It was _horrible_!

Leo: Do you think he saw it too?

Phoebe: I _know_ he did. I felt him. Nobody did anything. They didn't help him. Nobody did anything.

Victor: So what do we do now?

Leo: There's nothing else we can do but wait. It's up to Prue and Cole.

Victor: And you call yourself their guardian angel?! What the hell good is a Whitelighter if all you can do is stand there and watch my daughter die?!

Phoebe: Dad, _please_.

Piper: You're not helping.

Victor: And _he_ is?! Why don't you _do_ something?! Isn't that your job?!

Leo: You know, I _am_ doing something! I am trusting your other daughter Prue. You know, I know that you feel helpless. We all do. But Prue is not gonna let Phoebe die.

[Cut back to the church. Sutter and his men are riding up to it.]

[Cut inside. Prue does something to her gun.]

Isabel: You learn fast.

Prue: Thanks. I have a few gifts too.

(Cole looks out the window.)

Cole: Sutter's men just showed up. We better get Bo out of here.

Isabel: What? How did they find us?

Cole: We must have been followed. I'll shimmer him back to Leo, then come back for you two.

Prue: No.

Cole: What do you mean, no? He dies, Phoebe dies.

Prue: Taking Bo out of here will not break the time loop.

Cole: It'll save Phoebe.

Prue: Yeah, well, there's more than just Phoebe's life on the line here, Cole. We have to break the curse by sundown, otherwise this entire town is doomed to repeat the same day over and over again.

Man: We know you're in there, Bo! Come out with your hands up and nobody gets hurt! What's it gonna be, Bo?!

Cole: Alright, how do we break the curse?

Prue: I don't know, but I do know that it hinges on keeping Bo alive.

Bo: No, it doesn't. The curse isn't about me, or about Sutter. It's about them. The townspeople who stood there and watched me die. The only way is for me to give myself up.

Isabel: _No._

Bo: It's okay, Isabel. Have faith.

Cole: They'll kill you.

Bo: Maybe. But this curse came from my father's people. I understand that now. It's meant to heal, to teach the townspeople to act without shame. I have to give them that chance.

Prue: Helping them to save you saves themselves.

(Bo opens the door and white doves fly out. He raises his hands.)

[Time lapse. Sutter's men are riding their horses through the town with Bo being dragged behind. They stop and a man takes Bo to Sutter.]

Sutter: I want you all to see what happens when people cross me.

(Sutter pushes Bo on the ground. Cole, Prue, and Isabel arrive.)

Isabel: No! No!

Prue: Don't! He knows what he's doing.

(Bo stands back up and Sutter starts to whip him. Phoebe feels it too.)

Sutter: What's the matter, boy? You too stupid to scream? I want you to beg for mercy.

(Sutter continues to whip Bo.)

Prue: (to the townspeople) What are you people doing?! Look at him! He has the courage to fight Sutter for all of you! You can't just stand there and watch him die! You have to do something! You can take him down!

Cole: Sutter can't take all of you out! You need to do what's right!

Prue: You cannot just stand by and let this happen! Stand up to him! Don't be scared!

Sutter: Nobody crosses me.

(Sutter gets out his gun and points it at Bo. The bartender shoots Sutter's gun out of his hand.)

Bartender: I think you just oughta leave Bo alone, Sutter.

Sutter: You just signed your own death certificate.

(Cal points his gun at Sutter.)

Cal: If you wanna kill Bo, you're gonna have to kill me too.

(The townspeople all point their guns at Sutter. Isabel runs over to Bo.)

Isabel: Are you okay? (Sutter grabs Isabel by the hair.) Aah!

Sutter: Anybody comes after me and she's dead!

Cole: (to Prue) Now can we do something?

Prue: Oh, yeah. (Sutter throws Isabel to the ground, jumps on his horse, and rides off. Everyone chases him. Prue gets on a horse and follows him. She shoots at him and he falls off of the horse. He tries to run away, but Prue shoots him in the shoulder. She gets off the horse and uses her power on him. He flies into the sheriff's office. Cole, Bo, and Isabel catch up to Prue.) I don't think Sutter's gonna be a problem anymore.

Cole: What about the curse?

Prue: It's a beautiful sunset, isn't it? I don't think there's been one quite like it in 128 years.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Victor are waiting for Prue and Cole.]

Victor: So where are they?

Leo: I don't know, unless they didn't make it out.

Piper: Don't even _say_ it, don't even _think_ it.

(Cole and Prue shimmer in. Cole has his arm around her.)

Piper: _Finally._

Victor: What took you so long? We've been worried sick.

Prue: Sorry. (to Phoebe) Are you okay?

Phoebe: I'm great. Thank you. Both of you.

Leo: And the time loop?

Prue: Broken. They will never have to live through that horror again.

Victor: So then, um, where are they?

Prue: I don't know. Probably living out their lives in a parallel plane, I guess.

Leo: You know, don't think about it too much, Victor. It'll just give you a headache.

Piper: Okay, um, anybody up to a rehearsal dinner?

Phoebe: _Absolutely_. I'm _starving_.

(Everyone heads for the dining room.)

Cole: Well, I guess I should be going.

Prue: You're not going anywhere.

Cole: Prue, I don't want to cause any... trouble.

(Prue kisses him. Everyone looks away.)

Prue: You're staying and that's that.

Piper: Alright then, shall we?

Cole: Yeah.

(They go into the dining room. A crow lands on the window sill outside.)


	15. Just Harried

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Just Harried**

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Phoebe are putting a floral arch in place for the wedding. Grams' spirit is standing near by.]

Phoebe: Okay, that should do it.

Grams: I'm thinking more to the left. Uh, is this the biggest arch you could get?

Phoebe: Ugh.

Prue: Without opening up a fast food franchise, yeah.

Grams: Well, just remember, if love is the _quest_ , then marriage is the _conquest_. This place must be like... victory.

Phoebe: And here I thought weddings were supposed to be romantic.

Grams: Oh my dear sweet child.

Prue: Better listen to Grams, Phoebe. I mean, you could always calculate her age by the number of rings on her fingers. (Phoebe laughs.) Alright, wedding arch is done. (She ticks something on her list.) The next thing to do (she yawns) on the To Do list is…

Phoebe: _Sleep_. You've been yawning all day.

Prue: Try all week. It's this recurring dream I keep having. It's keeping me awake.

Phoebe: Really? What's in the dream?

Prue: Well, uh, there was this biker guy, and he's kinda cute, and kinda dangerous.

Phoebe: Sounds kinda yummy.

(Piper walks in and looks around.)

Grams: Piper, sweetie, well, what do you think?

Piper: It's-it's beautiful.

Phoebe: Yeah, and the best part about it is, it's finally happening.

(Piper sighs.)

Piper: Flowers and bows and Grams. The only thing missing is…

Prue: Mom.

Piper: Grams, are you sure that you can't do….?

Grams: No, nothing. I'm only here because you need a high priestess. They want me back by the witching hour tomorrow.

Phoebe: I thought maybe this could help.

(Phoebe holds up a photo of Patty.)

Prue: You okay?

Piper: Yeah, I just-I can't believe how close I came to _sabotaging_ my own wedding.

Phoebe: What do you mean?

Piper: Well, with the demons, and the false start, and _them_ I, you know, I told myself if one more thing went wrong then it just maybe wasn't meant to be.

Grams: Oh, darling, there's no need to think that way. I mean, you made it.

Prue: Yeah, and I will personally butt kick any demon who tries to ruin it for you.

(Prue yawns.)

Phoebe: Not if you're asleep you won't. Come on, I'm tucking you in.

Piper: Sweet dreams. Bye.

(Prue and Phoebe go upstairs.)

Grams: I'll see _you_ tomorrow at 4:00, _Mrs._ Halliwell. The women keep their names in this family.

(Grams disappears. Piper looks around the room.)

[Cut to Prue's room. Prue is asleep in bed.]

[Cut to Prue's dream. There's a bar. Men are playing pool. The camera pans over to another table. Prue's there playing pool with a couple of biker men.]

Prue: Uh-huh. (She sinks a ball.) The more I play, the luckier I get. (She walks around the table.) Alright. (She sinks another ball.) So that would be, uh, twenty bucks that you owe me.

Biker #1: No. I never agreed to no bet.

Prue: Rules of the house say loser pays twenty bucks. Unless you want to start something in here in front of all of these people.

Biker #1: Alright.

(He hands her the $20.)

Prue: Thank you.

(She tucks it inside her bra and walks off.)

[Cut to outside the bar. A biker is standing out there. Prue walks past and he stops her.]

Biker #1: Hey, you've got my money.

Prue: Hey, you have a good memory.

Biker #1: Yeah, yeah, maybe I'll just take it out in trade, huh? Come here.

(He touches her and she kicks him in the face. She picks up a piece of wood and hits him in the stomach. He falls to the ground, unconscious.)

Prue: No, I don't wanna go.

(Prue astral projects out of the scene.)

[Cut back to Prue's room. Prue wakes up.]

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Piper's bedroom. Piper is asleep. There are rose petals covering her bed. A chime wakes her up.]

Piper: Leo?

(She sits up and sees the petals. She giggles and picks up a handful of petals. Phoebe walks in carrying a tray.)

Phoebe: Was that just _giggling_ I heard?

Piper: _Yes_ , I am guilty of _giggling_ and I am guilty of being _happier_ than any previous moment in my life.

Phoebe: Piper, it's your wedding day!

Piper: (shyly) I know.

Phoebe: Here comes the bridesmaid!

(Phoebe jumps on the bed. Prue walks in.)

Piper: Prue, come play!

Prue: Oh, hey. Hey.

Phoebe: Uh-oh. Another bad dream?

Prue: Yeah. I was still in that biker bar, but this time I was attacked by a big galoot.

Piper: A galoot? What is that? (Phoebe shrugs.) You fought a demon in your sleep? If I'm gonna have to vanquish a demon in my wedding dress, just tell me, because if so, then-

Prue: Hey! Alright, he was not a demon. He was just a big rude guy.

Phoebe: And it was just in her dream, sweetie.

Prue: Yeah, and the only thing I need to vanquish him is a potion called _coffee_. (The doorbell rings.) Ah, that must be the flowers. Um, okay, you just relax, no worrying.

Phoebe: And eat your breakfast and then I will have a hot bubble bath waiting for you.

Piper: Are you sure there's nothing witchy going on?

(Prue throws petals over Piper.)

Prue: I'm positive.

(They leave the room.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue and Phoebe are there. Prue is sitting at the table.]

Phoebe: Check out what I found in the attic.

Prue: I hope it's something old, 'cause we already have new, borrowed, and blue covered.

Phoebe: Is Melinda Warren's blessing cup old enough?

(Prue picks up the cup.)

Prue: That is very cool.

Phoebe: Yeah, what could be better than to give Piper the actual cup that our favourite ancestor drank from at her wedding?

Prue: Hmm, alright, I can check that off. Now all I need is help moving the buffet table. But maybe we should wait until Cole gets here. He should be here any minute.

(They hear Piper scream.)

[Cut to the stairs. Leo and Piper are there. Piper is hiding behind the railing.]

Piper: It is bad luck to see the bride's dress before the wedding!

Leo: But you're not even wearing your dress.

Piper: The same rule applies to the bride's... curlers. Go away.

(She goes upstairs. Prue and Phoebe walk in.)

Prue: Oh, good, you're here.

Leo: Yeah, I'm just looking for a place to change.

(Prue sees Leo holding his Whitelighter robe.)

Prue: Uh, what's with the robe?

Leo: Oh. It's my formal Whitelighter wear.

Phoebe: Um, _yeah_ , I-I hope you don't mind, but we sort of decided that you should be a little bit more traditional, so we rented you a tux.

(Victor enters the manor.)

Victor: Anybody home?!

Phoebe: _Daddy_! (She goes over to him.) Hi.

(They hug.)

Victor: Hi, baby. Leo.

Leo: Victor.

(He goes over to Prue.)

Prue: Hey, Dad.

Victor: Hey. (He kisses the top of her head.)

Prue: Well, I know that you have a lot of joy and laughter to share, so I'll just take you down- Whoa.

Victor: What's the matter?

(Prue sits down on the stairs.)

Prue: Uh, just a, uh, dizzy spell. I've been getting them ever since those dreams began.

Leo: What dreams?

Prue: Oh, you know, those dreams... uh, you know, it's nothing.

Phoebe: Yeah, certainly nothing to worry about. Okay, you two, follow me. (to Prue) You just sit there and relax. I'll be right back. (Leo and Victor follow Phoebe down to the basement.) Get dressed and no fighting.

(Leo and Victor walk down the stairs. A tux is there hanging on a coat hanger.)

Victor: So you rented a tux, huh? I thought for sure you'd be wearing one of those long robes all you Whitelighters love so much.

Leo: Uh, no. I decided to go a little more traditional.

[Cut back to Prue. Phoebe sits down beside her.]

Phoebe: Prue, okay, we've got everyone convinced that we have things under control. Now you have to convince me.

Prue: I can't do that.

Phoebe: Oh, no. What are you feeling?

Prue: _Tired_ , all the time. I mean, when I fall asleep, my dreams are so real, that they don't allow me any rest. It's like I'm awake twenty-four hours a day.

Phoebe: Is the dream sorcerer back?

Prue: I don't think so, but I'm not ruling anything out.

Phoebe: Well, remember what Piper said. If one more thing goes wrong, she was gonna call off this wedding.

Prue: No, we can't let that happen.

Phoebe: Okay, why don't you let me handle this _almighty_ To Do list, and you go upstairs and get some rest. Don't _sleep_ , just rest.

Prue: Okay.

(They stand up.)

Phoebe: Huh, wow, so you're relinquishing control to your little sister. (Prue goes upstairs.) You must really be tired. (Phoebe picks up the photo of Patty.) Please help us through this day, mom.

[Cut to Prue's bedroom. Prue is laying on her bed. She closes her eyes and falls asleep.]

[Cut to Prue's dream. Astral Prue appears in the bar. She walks past a pool table. An investigator grabs her arm from behind. She turns around.]

Prue: Who are you?

Investigator: (shows her a badge) What's your name?

Prue: My name's Prue. Prue Halliwell.

Investigator: I'm surprised you came back.

Prue: What are you talking about?

Investigator: You're under arrest for robbery and murder.

Prue: No, I-I-I didn't kill _anyone_.

Investigator: That's not what we heard. (The inspector gets out his handcuffs.) Put up your hands. (The inspector handcuffs her.) Come on. Whoa, take it easy.

Prue: Don't do this.

Investigator: You don't want to resist arrest. Come on. Let's go.

(They walk outside where two police cars are waiting.)

[Cut to Prue's room. Phoebe walks in.]

Phoebe: Prue? Prue, wake up.

[Cut back to the bar. The inspector puts Prue in the car.]

[Cut back to Prue's room.]

Phoebe: Prue.

[Cut back to the car.]

Prue: Oh, no.

(Prue astral projects out of the car, leaving the handcuffs behind. The inspector notices she's gone.)

[Cut to Prue's room. Prue wakes up. She looks at her wrists.]

Prue: Oh, no.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue's room. Prue and Phoebe are there.]

Prue: I was wanted for murder. A cop handcuffed me and that's all I remember, except that I didn't really wanna wake up. It's like my dream was overpowering me.

Phoebe: Mm, that's what my premonitions feel like. They pull me against my will.

Prue: You know, maybe somebody's trying to pull me into a parallel world or a dream dimension.

Phoebe: Well, hopefully that someone will be in the Book of Shadows, okay? Come on. (They head for the attic.) Wait, should we tell Piper?

Prue: No, I won't let this be the one thing that goes wrong today. I'll be okay as long as I stay awake, right? For Piper?

Phoebe: For Piper.

(Piper comes out of her room.)

Piper: Hold it right there. What's wrong?

Phoebe: Uh, boy bands. There's just too many of them, don't you think?

Piper: _No_. What's wrong with you two?

Prue: Uh, nothing's wrong.

Piper: I can see it in your faces. We've been demon-hunting for three years now. You're going to the attic, aren't you?

Phoebe: Yes.

(Prue elbows Phoebe.)

Prue: Phoebe!

Piper: I _knew_ it.

Phoebe: What, Prue, she's onto us, she knows. Yes, Piper, we were heading to the attic. To find something old, something new…

Prue: Uh, something-something borrowed, something blue.

Phoebe: Yes.

Prue: Right. We were gonna surprise you, but now you caught us.

Piper: Oh.

Prue: Yeah, I mean, look, I told you, you have nothing to worry about today, alright? It's going to be a _demon-free_ day. (Cole shimmers in and scares Piper.) _Hey_!

Cole: Sorry I'm late.

Piper: (to Prue) You were saying?

(Cole walks over to Prue.)

Cole: Near miss with a Zotar. (He and Prue kiss.) Almost spotted me. Oh, don't worry, I lost him. I think.

Piper: _See_? No matter what, a demon will attack today. It's just the natural order of our universe.

Phoebe: Piper, you have to stay positive. You know what? I have Celine Dion 'Behind The Music' on video cassette. Would you like to watch that?

Piper: Would you like to get slapped?

Prue: Hey, she's just trying to _relax_ you.

Cole: Don't worry. Leave the demons to me. I can handle anything that comes through-

Prue: Oh, no, you don't. You _promised_ you were not gonna use your demonic powers anymore.

Cole: Oh, sorry. Old habits.

Prue: Think _good_.

Cole: Oh, I am, I am. Um, I brought a gift.

(He throws the gift at Piper.)

[Cut to the basement. Leo and Victor are dressed in their tuxes.]

Victor: So are you and Piper gonna move out, get your own place?

Leo: Uh, not right away.

Victor: Well, just between you and me, isn't that a little tough on the old pride? Living off the girls like that?

Leo: Look, Victor, I know you don't like the idea of your daughter marrying a Whitelighter.

Victor: Oh, I never said that. But now that you mention it, _yeah_. I'd prefer Piper to marry a mortal.

Leo: Well, Piper's _not_ mortal. She's a witch. She was given her gifts to serve a higher calling.

Victor: A calling that only people like you could understand, right? The same crap my ex-wife's Whitelighter used to steal her away from me.

Leo: And I'm sorry that happened to you, I really am. But with all do respect, this isn't about you and Patty, this is about me and Piper. I love her with all my heart, and I promise to _keep_ loving her and taking care of her for the rest of this life, the afterlife, and whatever comes after that. Now you may not _support_ it and you may not _agree_ with it, but it is _not_ going to stop me from marrying your daughter today. _Nothing_ will.

Victor: You know what? I could probably get used to having a Whitelighter for a son-in-law.

(Victor ties Leo's bow tie. Cole comes down the stairs.)

Cole: Everybody having fun down here?

Leo: (to Victor) Where do you stand on demons?

[Cut to upstairs. Prue walks downstairs from the attic. Phoebe comes around the corner.]

Phoebe: Hey, did you find anything in the Book about your dreams?

Prue: Nothing.

Phoebe: What are we gonna do? The wedding's in a half an hour.

Prue: Get ready, get set, get through it, for Piper.

Phoebe: For Piper.

(They head in different directions.)

[Cut to Piper's room. Piper is in her wedding dress. She puts on her earrings and looks in the mirror. Patty appears behind her.]

Patty: Oh, you're so beautiful.

Piper: Mom?

Patty: Don't be afraid.

(Piper turns around.)

Piper: Oh my god. But... it can't be 'cause, um, ghosts-ghosts _glow_. You're not glowing.

Patty: Well, I'm not a ghost. Well, not today. Today I am…. Well, I'm simply your mother.

Piper: But, uh, _how_?

Patty: After all the Elders put you and Leo through, they wanted to give you something back, so, so they sent me down, just for your wedding day. You know, I think I wore my hair like this for my wedding day.

Piper: You did. Uh, I kept your wedding album after you died and... (Patty licks her finger and pushes a piece of Piper's hair in place.) … and I looked at the pictures every night like a bedtime story.

Patty: I always thought you'd be the first to get married. You're the heart of this family, Piper.

(Piper touches Patty's hand.)

Piper: I'm not dreaming, am I?

Patty: No, sweetie, you're not.

Piper: Mom.

(They hug. Prue and Phoebe walk in.)

Phoebe: Mom.

Piper: It's true. She's real. They sent her to us for today.

(Patty goes to Prue.)

Patty: Oh, Prue. It's been so hard on you, unfair.

Prue: Yeah…. _No_. It doesn't matter. I just wanted to make you proud.

Patty: You protected this family better than I could. I'm _so_ proud of you.

Prue: Thank you. (They hug.)

Patty: (to Phoebe) And you, my baby, you feel it all, don't you? I was never there to comfort you. I died before you even _knew_ me.

Phoebe: Some nights I just wanted you to hold me.

Patty: Your road's been the longest, Phoebe. But I was never worried about you. You know why? Because I had a premonition the day you were born.

Phoebe: You did?

Piper: What did you see?

Patty: Oh, I saw this. I saw this moment right now, my three daughters standing before me as _beautiful_ young women, and I _knew_ that everything would be okay.

Phoebe: What did you see next?

Patty: I held you.

(They all hug.)

[Cut downstairs. Everyone but Piper and Patty are standing around the room.]

Grams: Places, places everyone!

(The doorbell rings.)

Prue: _Don't_ answer that.

Piper: (from upstairs) Can somebody answer that?!

Prue: _Ooh_ , I'll get it. (Prue answers the door. Darryl is there.) Hey, you're _late_. Where were you?

Darryl: Out saving your ass.

Prue: Huh?

Darryl: The police have your picture. You're wanted for murder. They said you fled custody this morning.

Phoebe: Oh my god, that was your dream.

Darryl: They don't have your name yet, but it's only a matter of time.

Grams: _Girls!_

Prue: Alright, let's just stay cool, and we'll get downtown and straighten this out later. But we have to get through the wedding first, okay? For Piper?

Phoebe: For Piper. (They look at Darryl.) You're supposed to say 'For Piper'.

Darryl: Alright, it better be a quick wedding.

(Prue, Phoebe, and Darryl go into the room and stand in place.)

Grams: Everything looks perfect, except…. Victor, could you move a little to your left?

Victor: Sure, why?

Grams: Well, to make room for….

(Patty walks in.)

Victor: _Patty_.

Patty: Hello, Victor, how are you?

Victor: Good. I mean, I was good. Alright, who brought my ex-wife back from the dead?

Grams: _Not now_ , Victor. I know you two have _issues_ , but that's what the reception is for.

(Grams starts the music and Piper walks down the stairs. Victor walks over to her and she holds onto his arm. He takes her up to Leo.)

Phoebe: We did it. It's really happening.

Prue: Oh, oh, oh no.

(Prue faints.)

Phoebe: Prue? (Astral Prue appears and runs off.) Prue.

(Phoebe runs after Astral Prue and grabs her, but she fights back. Their fight knocks over the flowers, and then Astral Prue knocks Phoebe into the table, and all the glassware smashes on the floor. Grams gasps)

Piper: Prue! What the hell is going on?! What is wrong with you?!

(Prue grabs her keys.)

Prue: I have to go! I have to get out of here!

Piper: Prue!

(Phoebe stands back up.)

Phoebe: Prue, you get your astral ass back here! (Prue uses her power and causes the three-tiered cake to fly at Phoebe, but she dodges and the cake is ruined. Piper gasps. Prue gets into her car and dries off. To Piper) Honey….

Piper: Alright, that's it! The wedding is _off_! (She throws her veil on the floor. She tries to walk, but Phoebe is standing on her dress.) _Phoebe_!

Phoebe: Sorry! Sorry! (Piper walks away.) Piper. Piper, wait, think about this.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Continued from before. Piper is putting on a sweater.]

Phoebe: Piper. Piper, you cannot just leave.

Piper: Yes, I can. A demon I could have handled, but my big sister _ruining_ my wedding? _I cannot handle that_!

Phoebe: Okay, just listen to me for one second. All we have to do is find a way-

Piper: No, no, I don't wanna _find_ a way to get married on my _wedding day_! It's-it's _too hard_! There must be a reason!

(Leo walks over to them.)

Leo: Piper….

Piper: _Leo_ , I'm sorry, but this is just the final straw. It's just _not_ meant to be.

(Piper leaves the manor.)

[Cut to the living room. Victor lays Prue on the couch. Leo and Phoebe walk in.]

Phoebe: I've never seen Piper so defeated. (Leo sits on the other couch.) Prue, come on, wake up. Prue, come on.

Patty: Honey, you won't get her back that way. A part of Prue wanted to escape and it used her astral self to do it.

Grams: If the wedding's off, I have to go. I'm only here to conduct the ceremony. I'm sorry.

(Grams disappears.)

Victor: Maybe Piper's right. Maybe the wedding just wasn't meant to be.

Patty: _Victor._

Victor: All I'm saying is maybe the gods are just trying to spare them the pain that we went through.

Leo: No. All I need is what's inside of me to know that Piper and I are _meant_ to be together. (He stands up.) What happened here today….

Phoebe: Piper and Leo's love has touched us all. We have to fix this.

(Darryl's pager beeps.)

Darryl: I gotta go fend off the police.

Victor: What police?

Darryl: Prue's wanted for murder. I'll stay in touch by cell phone.

(Darryl leaves.)

Patty: _Murder?_

Leo: (to Phoebe) You knew about this?

Phoebe: I _just_ found out when Morris told Prue. But it's obviously a mistake. I mean, Prue wouldn't murder anybody.

Leo: Alright. Alright, you guys find Piper, bring her back here somehow. Phoebe, Book of Shadows, see if there's a spell to bring Astral Prue back. Cole, you and me are gonna do a little investigating of our own. Alright, come on, you guys. We've got a wedding to save.

[Scene: The bar. Leo orbs in and Cole shimmers in.]

Cole: Hmm, interesting place to dream about.

Leo: Especially for Prue.

(They start to walk around.)

Cole: Based on what Morris said, someone must have knifed the victim after Astral Prue left.

Leo: By the looks of this crowd, it could be anybody.

Cole: No, not anybody. Very few humans have the heart of a true killer. One who kills without prejudice.

Leo: How do you know?

Cole: I can always sense it. Before I suppressed my demonic side for Prue, I could sense how human killers felt inside. He's here.

Leo: The murderer? You sure?

Cole: That he's our murderer? No. But he's got fresh blood on his hands. Go. Get Morris.

(Leo walks away.)

[Cut to P3. Patty and Victor walk down the stairs.]

Patty: Just let me do the talking. You always had a way of saying the wrong thing when they were young.

Victor: Wrong, according to you. You were never open to what I had to say because you wanted to raise them as witches... (They see Piper sitting across the room.) … instead of little girls.

(They walk over to Piper.)

Patty: We were worried.

Piper: I'm sorry. I let everyone down.

Victor: Honey, you have _nothing_ to apologize for.

Patty: It is a tribute to you and Leo that you made it as far as you did, I think.

Piper: Yeah, but we didn't make it all the way.

Patty: Not yet maybe, but….

Piper: Not _ever_. I mean, I think it's obvious, don't you? Leo and I are just clearly not…

Patty: Destined to be? Oh, I don't believe that. And I don't think that you really believe that either.

Piper: _Don't I_? All I have to do is look at you and Dad to see where I might end up if I marry Leo. I mean, look at the track record. As Halliwells, we are _blessed_ as witches, and we are _cursed_ as women. Sometimes I think we're all destined to end up _alone_.

Patty: You don't really…. I mean, just because…. Victor.

Victor: You think your mother and I were cursed?

Piper: Don't you?

Victor: Honestly, I look back at those days as the best of my life. I loved your mother. She was the best thing that ever happened to me until the three of you came along.

Piper: But your marriage still didn't last.

Victor: Yeah, and that hurt. A lot. But it was our love that gave birth to you and your sisters. Maybe that was my destiny.

Piper: I'm sorry, I just need to be alone.

(She walks away.)

Patty: Not bad for a guy who always says the wrong thing.

Victor: Thanks. I just wish I knew that it helped.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Phoebe is sitting on the couch with the Book of Shadows. She found a spell. Prue astral projects in.]

Prue: No, I will not let you take me!

(Prue looks around. Phoebe slams the Book of Shadows shut.)

Phoebe: Nice spell, huh?

Prue: How dare you?

Phoebe: How dare _you_? You _destroyed_ Piper's wedding, along with Piper. Now, Prue, I don't know what's going on with you, but you have _got_ to pull yourself together.

Prue: I'm outta here. (Prue starts to walk away. Phoebe gets up and grabs Prue's shoulder. Prue flips Phoebe onto the ground.) You know what? (She grabs Phoebe by the throat and pulls her up.) You cannot stop me, alright? I am never going back. I'm not going- (Phoebe swings her around onto the couch.) Alright, you know what? I am sick of this. She is all about duty and obligation, well _not me_. Alright? I want to be free, I wanna have a life.

Phoebe: Well, Prue, you _have_ responsibilities, whether you like it or not. Wait a minute. You astral out in a dream when your subconscious takes over.

Prue: So what?

Phoebe: So I just studied this. It's psych 101. Freud. You're the id. Prue's inner desires. Which means that _she_ is the ego. The control factor.

Prue: Yeah, well, she is one big remote control and she's _always_ got me on pause.

Phoebe: I think I understand. The sacrifices that you've made for us over the years. They made you suppress your inner desires.

(Astral Prue sits down beside Prue.)

Prue: Yeah, well, don't tell me, tell her.

Phoebe: No, I'm telling you because you are Prue. I mean, you are both two sides of my sister. Prue, you have got to stop devoting your entire self to the Charmed Ones. It'll tear you apart. Literally.

Prue: Is Piper very mad at me?

Phoebe: She'll get over it. And you know why? Because we're okay now, Piper and me. We've both got _passion_ and _purpose_ in our lives, and _you_ gave us that.

Prue: I did?

Phoebe: You took care of us. And now it's time to take care of you. (Prue astral projects back into her body. Prue sits up.) Welcome back.

Prue: Thanks. For everything. _Oh, no_. (She walks into the next room and sees the mess.) Oh, I cannot believe that I wrecked Piper's wedding.

Phoebe: Only a part of you did.

Prue: Is it too late to fix it?

(The lights go out.)

Phoebe: Oh, now what?

(Suddenly, the door flies open and cops burst in.)

Cop #1: Police! Stay where you are! Don't move!

Inspector: Prue Halliwell? You're under arrest... for murder.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Police station. Prue is there getting her photo taken. A cop takes her into a room.]

Cop: Alright, sit down. The inspector will be with you shortly.

(Prue sits down and looks at her reflection in the two-way mirror.)

Prue: This is all our fault.

[Cut to the bar. Leo and Darryl walk in. They go up to Cole.]

Leo: Prue's been booked for murder. We're running out of time.

Darryl: Leo says you've found the killer.

Cole: Found _a_ killer.

Darryl: Oh, great, you mean you don't know? What are you gonna do? Ask him?

(The biker walks past them. He stops and stares, then continues to walk.)

Cole: That's a good idea. Why don't you meet me out front in five.

(He walks away.)

[Cut to outside. The biker is there smoking a cigarette. Cole walks over to him.]

Cole: Is that the spot where they found the body?

Biker #2: Who are you?

Cole: I'm here to find out what you know about the murder that took place here last night.

Biker #2: Why don't you show me your badge.

Cole: Oh, no, I'm not... a cop. I'm a... fortune teller, and I predict you're gonna give me a confession.

Biker #2: You're a funny man, huh? Excuse me.

(He starts to walk away but Cole grabs him. The biker pushes Cole into his motorbike. He pulls out a knife. Cole gets back up. The biker swings the knife at Cole but misses.)

Cole: I guess that's the knife you used on the victim when you found him unconscious, right?

Biker #2: You wanna closer look at it, huh?

(He tries to stab Cole but Cole grabs his wrist.)

Cole: One more chance. Confess now and talk to the police.

Biker #2: Or what?

(Cole changes into Belthazor.)

Belthazor: Or deal with me. (Darryl and Leo walk outside. Darryl sees Belthazor and gets out his gun. Belthazor turns to Darryl.) I think he's ready to talk.

[Cut to the manor. Patty is putting the bride and groom back onto the cake. Phoebe is lighting candles.]

Leo: I don't get it. Prue should be back by now. The police have the killer.

Cole: They might have held her over for escaping custody.

Victor: Can we get some light while we're waiting?

Phoebe: No, Dad. The police cut the power line.

(Grams appears.)

Grams: I'm sorry, Patty. They sent me to take you back.

Phoebe: No, it's not midnight yet. We still have five more minutes.

Victor: I should have said something more to convince Piper.

Patty: But you said everything. You were wonderful.

(Prue and Darryl walk in. Victor shines the flashlight on them.)

Darryl: Sorry we're late.

Prue: What, not who you were expecting?

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: So, okay, what are we waiting for? (Piper takes off her sweater.) (to Leo) Don't look so shocked.

Grams: Girls, it's show time.

(Everyone stands in place.)

Piper: Little help here.

(Prue puts on Piper's veil.)

Victor: (to Leo) I noticed you don't have a best man. If you like, I could, uh….

Leo: I'd be honoured.

Phoebe: Oh, no, there's no power for music.

(Grams makes the wind chimes chime.)

Prue: Alright, is that the best that we can do on the lights? (Leo makes clouds of bright lights appear above them.) That's more like it.

(Grams clears her throat.)

Grams: We are gathered here today to unite two souls as one. Do you, Leo Wyatt, and you, Piper Halliwell, join us here of your own free will to acknowledge the eternal bond shared by both of you?

Leo: I do.

Piper: I do.

Grams: You may face each other. Join hands. (They do so.) Uh, Leo, you may recite your vows.

Leo: Piper, through all the tears and struggles, I always knew in my heart that we'd make it here. I promise to love and respect you from this point forward, as your husband, as my wife, my lover, my friend, and my soulmate. All I am is yours.

Grams: Piper.

Piper: Leo, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was afraid that you were too good to be true, that maybe I didn't deserve someone so... pure, and _beautiful_ , and loving as you are. But here we are surrounded by the people that I love the most, and I feel so proud, and so blessed, to be your wife. Leo, I was born to love you, and I always will.

Grams: Here before witnesses, Leo and Piper have sworn their vows to each other. With this cord, I bind them to those vows.

(A rope is loosely tied around their hands.)

Piper/Leo: Heart to thee, body to thee, always and forever, so mote it be.

Grams: So mote it be.

All: So mote it be.

(The clock strikes twelve.)

Grams: Kiss her, fast.

(Piper and Leo kiss. Everyone applauds and grins.)


	16. Death Takes a Halliwell

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Death Takes a Halliwell**

[Scene: At a beach. Prue and Phoebe are there. Prue is taking photos. Phoebe is building a sand castle.]

Phoebe: I hereby proclaim this tower of sand Kingdom Phoebeville! Yay!

(The waves splash on Prue. Phoebe laughs.)

Prue: You know, I don't get it.

(Prue walks off. Phoebe catches up with her.)

Phoebe: Wait, what don't you get?

Prue: That you just spent an _hour_ of your _life_ building something that is just gonna be _completely_ , completely destroyed and disappear in about, oh, five seconds flat.

Phoebe: Ahh, but Phoebeville will live forever in the hearts of the villagers who came to love it.

Prue: Mm-hmm.

Phoebe: What's with the ba-hum castle attitude there?

Prue: What?

Phoebe: The whole point of today was to relax and have fun.

Prue: See, and I thought the point was to give Piper and Leo some alone married people time since they decided to wait on their honeymoon.

Phoebe: Okay. So you're sure nothing's wrong?

Prue: You know, the beach isn't exactly my idea of a good time.

Phoebe: Prue, how is that possible?

Prue: Okay, well, you're too young to remember, but this is where Grams brought us after Mum's funeral to try and cheer us up.

Phoebe: Oh, wow.

Prue: Yeah. You know, but I know that you love the beach and I didn't wanna ruin it for you, but something about the sand and the ocean, it makes me feel angry.

Phoebe: Why does it make you angry?

Prue: Doesn't Mom's death make you angry?

Phoebe: It makes me sad.

Prue: Well, I don't really do sad all that well, you know. I didn't even cry at her funeral.

Phoebe: So seeing Mom at Piper's wedding and now the beach….

Prue: Yeah. So I'm sorry if I've been a little cranky.

Phoebe: Say no more. (yelling) Princess Prue has spoken! By the orders of the Queen. That's me.

Prue: Ooh, I got that part.

Phoebe: Phoebeville, and all of its glory, will be abandoned, for greener pastures, and two lattes.

Prue: Oh, all hail the Queen.

Phoebe: Yay, I love to be hailed.

(A woman is standing nearby taking photos of Prue. Prue sees her and sees a black shadow floating beside her. She takes a photo of it.)

Prue: Hey! (The woman runs off.) No, no, no, wait!

Phoebe: You okay?

Prue: Oh, there was this woman, and there was a shadow next to her. It _had_ to be demonic.

Phoebe: A shadow? Like, what do you mean? Like a Woogy?

Prue: No, spookier, _way_ spookier. I think I got pictures though.

Phoebe: So much for the lattes. Looks like there's a new demon in town.

[Scene: Cole's old apartment. Two demons and a landlady are there. One demon floats across the room.]

Landlady: So, you're new in town?

Demon #1: Yes.

Landlady: And-and you would both be living here?

Demon #1: Sure, yes, that's right.

(The other demon floats across the room again but the landlady doesn't notice.)

Landlady: Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm fine with the whole alternative lifestyle thing. I just don't like loud. Well, you understand.

Demon #1: Don't like loud. Got it.

Landlady: Like the last tenant, Mr. Turner, he was a little strange. And then, of course. he disappeared without a trace. But he was nice and quiet. So I liked him fine.

(Demon #2 opens Cole's altar.)

Demon #1: Without a trace. Is that so?

Demon #2: There's demonic residue all over this altar. It's his. I can sense it.

Landlady: There's... what? What did you say?

Demon #1: Surely you knew _something_ strange had happened here. It's your responsibility to _divulge_ such things to respective tenants.

Landlady: Now, listen, I don't know anything-

Demon #1: And the fact that you _failed_ to show us the altar makes us wonder... (He floats towards her.) … what else about Cole Turner you might be hiding in that _tiny_ human brain of yours.

(The landlady starts crying.)

Landlady: Wait. I don't underst-

Demon #1: Shh! Don't try to talk. Your brain stem will do the talking for you. (Demon #2 bites into the landlady's neck like a vampire. She screams. She falls to the ground. Demon #2 wipes the blood off of his mouth with a handkerchief.) Is Belthazor alive?

Demon #2: She didn't know. But she knew someone who might.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Piper and Leo are there. Piper's looking in the mirror.]

Piper: Shouldn't I be wearing _white_ or something? I mean, it _is_ a Whitelighter reception and all.

Leo: Piper, what you have on is perfect. You're beautiful. All my friends are gonna love you. If we can ever get there.

Piper: Fine, um, but I still don't understand why my sisters couldn't come. I mean, we could just do a group hug thing and-

(Phoebe comes down the stairs holding the Book of Shadows.)

Leo: Look, I can orb you because you're my wife, but I'm not a cosmic taxi for the whole family.

(Phoebe laughs)

Phoebe: You said wife.

Piper: Alright. I'm as ready as I'm ever gonna be.

Phoebe: Wait, what about Prue's demon-looking shadowy thingy?

Leo: Well, I promise we'll be in calling distance if any demon-looking shadowy thingy attacks.

Phoebe: Alright, you two, have fun. Bring me back a cloud.

(Piper and Leo cuddle up and orb out. Prue walks in carrying some photos.)

Prue: Pheebs? I have to get to Morris, see if he can track down this woman.

Phoebe: Why? What did you find?

Prue: Nothing, that's the problem. The shadow didn't show up in any of the pictures.

Phoebe: Really? That's weird.

(Phoebe puts the book down.)

Prue: Anything in the book?

(The doorbell rings.)

Phoebe: No, nothing. (Prue heads towards the door.) I didn't really have a lot to go on though.

(Prue opens the door and there stands Reese Davidson.)

Prue: Inspector, how can I help you?

Reese: You can tell me where to find Cole Turner. I know he's alive, and I know he's in town.

Prue: Really?

Reese: Yeah, _really_. You wanna know how? Because his former landlady was found brutally murdered at his address.

Prue: Mrs. Owens. That's awful.

Reese: Awful like you can't imagine.

Prue: Uh, Cole didn't do this. The Cole Turner I know….

Reese: The Cole Turner you _know_. See now, that just doesn't sound like the words of a woman who claims her boyfriend up and left her without a word four months ago.

Prue: I know what you're thinking, and I know... what this looks like, and I am so sorry for what happened to-

Reese: You're _sorry_? Her eyes were frozen open in terror, her skull was punctured in two places, and by the time the police got there, most of her _brain_ had spilled out onto the floor. Be sick, be _horrified_ , but don't stand there lying to me and say you're _sorry_.

Phoebe: Alright, wait a second. You're talking to her like she did it.

Reese: If she's lying to protect Turner, then she might as well had. Now, for the last time. Where is he? (Silence) I'm gonna find him, Miss Halliwell, and then I'm gonna _bust_ his ass, and then, I'm gonna bust yours.

(He leaves. Phoebe walks over to Prue.)

Phoebe: You okay?

Prue: He didn't do it, Phoebe. I _know_ he didn't do it.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, it's not me you have to convince.

(Prue looks outside and sees the lady at the beach talking to Reese.)

Prue: Oh my god. That's her, the woman from the beach. (A dark shadow floats behind the woman.) Alright, look, do you see it?

Phoebe: No. All I see is Inspector Davidson and the woman. What does this mean? Is he having her follow us?

Prue: I'm more concerned about what's following _her_. I-I don't understand why you can't see it.

Phoebe: It doesn't matter, Prue, you can. (Reese and the woman get in a car.) Do you think this has anything to do with the landlady's death?

Prue: Well, it would be a pretty big coincidence if it didn't. (The car drives off.) Alright, I'm gonna follow her to protect her from it. If I'm the only one who can see it that must mean I'm meant to fight it.

Phoebe: Alright, but the way the Inspector was describing the murder….

Prue: I know. I'll be careful. I'll find Cole afterwards, tell him what happened and see if he knows anything about this shadow thing. 'Kay? Alright, bye.

(Prue leaves.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Prue in her car. She pulls up behind Reece's car.]

[Cut inside the car. The woman is looking through photos she took.]

Woman: I don't see anything _remotely_ suspicious. Unless you consider hot pink pedicures impressive.

Reese: I'm not sure what I think.

Woman: You really think these women are murderers?

Reese: You just keep doing what you're doing.

Woman: No, see there's something you're not telling me. Look, I know I'm a rookie and all, but I think I have a right to know what I'm looking for here.

Reese: Look, Andrea. I've seen things on this case that aren't right. That…. Look, I don't know what I'm looking for, but until I do, I want you to keep your distance and just keep following Prue Halliwell.

Andrea: So why don't you at least take the night off? Get some sleep, for Pete's sake.

Reese: No, no, no, I can't, nu-uh. Not till this is over. I tell you what. You dump those photos off on my desk and go home. You can pick them up again tomorrow.

Andrea: Reese….

Reese: That's an order.

(Andrea takes off her seat belt.)

Andrea: Have a good night.

Reese: Goodbye. You too.

(Andrea gets out of the car and Prue follows.)

[Cut to Reese's office. Andrea walks in. A seeker is there. She gets a fright.]

Andrea: Oh, my god. Oh, you startled me. Uh, are you waiting for Inspector Davidson?

Seeker #1: Are you expecting him?

Andrea: Uh, not tonight. He's in the field.

Seeker #1: Where?

(Seeker #2 floats to the ground from the roof behind Andrea.)

Andrea: I'm sorry. (She sees Seeker #2.) I don't know.

Seeker #1: Are you sure about that?

[Cut to outside the office. Prue is walking down the hallway. She hears a scream.]

[Cut back inside the office. Andrea falls to the floor.]

Seeker #1: What did she know?

Seeker #2: Nothing. She told me nothing.

Seeker #1: Which means he _definitely_ knows something.

(Prue uses her power to knock the door down. The seekers fade away. Prue notices the black shadow. She tries to use her power on it but nothing happens. It changes into the Angel of Death.)

Angel of Death: I'm beyond your powers. It's time.

(Andrea's spirit comes out of her body.)

Prue: Who are you?

Angel of Death: I'm Death. And I'll be back.

(He and Andrea dark wisp away.)

[Scene: Mausoleum. Cole and Prue are there.]

Cole: I better get outta here.

Prue: _What_? Why?

Cole: Because it's getting too dangerous.

Prue: So you're just gonna disappear again?

Cole: If that's what it takes to keep you safe.

Prue: What about keeping me _sane_ , Cole? I'm not gonna lose you again.

Cole: Those demons obviously know I'm alive or at least _suspects_ it. Why else would they have killed my _landlady_ and Davidson's partner? And if they killed them, they'll kill anyone they have to to get to me.

Prue: That is exactly why you can't leave. We have to stop them before they hurt anybody else. Or before they hurt you.

(Cole takes Prue's hands.)

Cole: They're after me, Prue. This is _my_ battle. I'll handle it.

(He starts to walk away.)

Prue: _Cole_. (He stops and turns back around.) I love you, and if holding onto that means that I have to fight a couple of extra demons along the way, then bring 'em on.

(Cole smiles.)

Cole: Unfortunately, we have no idea what we're dealing with. Those two demons you described? I haven't the slightest idea who they are. There wasn't enough to go on.

Prue: So we'll figure it out. (They hug.) Together. It won't bring Mrs. Owens back, but trust me, avenging an innocent feels pretty damn good.

[Scene: Cole's old apartment. Cole, Prue, and Phoebe duck under some police tape across the door and walk in. Phoebe sees a blood stain on the carpet.]

Phoebe: Oh, god.

Prue: You okay?

(Cole shuts the door.)

Cole: Try not to touch anything. You don't wanna leave your fingerprints.

Phoebe: But if I want to get a premonition….

Cole: Use the back of your hand.

(Phoebe touches objects while Prue and Cole look around the apartment. Cole goes into the bedroom.)

Prue: Did you find something?

(Prue goes over to him.)

Cole: It's just this place. It's strange to be back here.

Prue: I know. It's strange for me to be back here too.

Cole: Here in this room, was the first taste I had of a normal life. There were mornings I'd wake up next to you and I didn't feel evil. I was just a guy in love with a beautiful girl. I wanted it so much, I started to believe that lie.

Prue: That's not a lie anymore. We can have that. We can have a life together.

Cole: How?

Prue: Well, by taking out the bad guys who wanna take it away from us.

(Phoebe touches something and has a premonition of the two demons killing Reese. Prue is standing nearby and turns away. The premonition ends.)

Prue: What did you see?

Phoebe: You, you turned your back. Why wouldn't you do anything to stop them?

Cole: Stop who?

Phoebe: Uh, uh, demons. They, uh, sort of had... vampire teeth and they were floating. They were killing Davidson.

Cole: I know them. They're Seekers. They have ways of gathering information fast. _Really_ fast.

Prue: Do you know how to vanquish them?

Cole: No.

Prue: Well, let's hope the Book of Shadows does.

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue, Phoebe, and Cole are there. Prue is flipping through the Book of Shadows.]

Prue: Here it is. The Seekers. They gather information by feeding on their victims brain stem cells. _Lovely_.

Phoebe: So they're demonic lie detectors, only no one survives their tests.

Cole: Which means my landlady must have talked to Inspector Davidson about me, that's why they're after him.

Prue: It has a vanquish. Do you wanna see it?

(She goes to hand it to Cole but he jumps back.)

Cole: Oh, no no no. Last time I touched that book, it electrocuted me.

Prue: Yeah, well, maybe because your intentions were evil. Maybe it knows now that you're trying to be _good_.

Cole: Better safe than sorry. I still think that I should deal with this on my own.

(Cole stands up.)

Prue: No. (Prue stands up.) You can't. You said it yourself. You don't know how to vanquish them. And unfortunately the seekers aren't the only evil we're up against.

Phoebe: You mean the shadow?

Prue: Oh, yeah. Leo! _Leo_!

(Leo and Piper orb in. Leo is holding a crystal lamp.)

Phoebe: What's with the lamp?

Leo: A wedding present.

(Leo grins. Piper does not look impressed.)

Piper: _Bright_ , isn't it?

Prue: Uh, yeah. Um, Leo, is there such a thing as death? Uh, I mean, the _Angel_ of Death.

Leo: Yeah, sure. Why?

Prue: Because I met him.

Phoebe: Uh, what, are you kidding me?

Prue: Yeah, I told Cole already. That's how the shadow introduced himself to me when he took Davidson's partner. And he said that he would be _back_ too. I'm _assuming_ for Davidson.

Cole: I tried telling her that he's not working with the demons.

Leo: No, he can't be. The Angel of Death isn't evil.

Prue: _The hell he isn't_. And if I can see him, that must mean that I'm supposed to _stop_ him.

Leo: Prue, you can't stop him. The Angel of Death always gets who he comes for.

Prue: Yeah, well, not this time. Alright, I need to get a hold of Davidson. If I can get him here, I can protect him better.

Piper: Hold it. _Davidson_? As in Reese Davidson, the D.A. investigator? _He's_ the innocent?

Prue: Yeah, is that a problem?

Piper: One great big giant one. Prue, we can't protect him without telling him we're witches.

Prue: Yeah, I know that, Piper, but I don't care, okay. I-I cannot stand by and watch Death take that man.

Phoebe: But that's what you do. At least according to my premonition. You turn your back when the demons attack. I told you.

Prue: Yeah, but that doesn't make any sense.

Phoebe: I know, but that's what I saw.

Prue: Yeah, well, then you saw wrong. I'm not gonna let Death take any more of my innocents. I'm tired of losing people.

Cole: Excuse me.

(Cole walks out of the room and shimmers out.)

[Cut to Reese's office. Paramedics cover Andrea over. An inspector is talking to Reese.]

Reese: I thought I was protecting her.

Inspector: You alright, Inspector?

Reese: I should've warned her. I should've told her everything.

Inspector: What exactly should you have told her?

Reese: Look, all that matters is I'm gonna take down the guy who did this. No matter what. If it's the last thing I- (His pager beeps.) -do. I've gotta take this.

(Reese walks out of the room. The Seekers are standing nearby. Reese goes down the hallway and Cole stands in front of him.)

Cole: Forget about the Halliwells. It's me you're after. I'll tell you whatever you wanna know, I promise. Just not here. It's not safe. (Cole goes to touch his shoulder, but Reese pushes his hand away.)

Reese: Don't touch me! You're under arrest, Turner, and I will _personally_ see to it that-

Cole: Wait.

(Cole listens.)

Reese: What do you mean, wait?

(Cole grabs Reese and they shimmer out. The two Seekers walk around the corner. They stop.)

Seeker #1: Did you sense that?

Seeker #2: Belthazor's alive.

[Cut to the mausoleum. Cole and Reese shimmer in.]

Cole: I'm sorry. It was our only chance. They might be able to track me, but they'll have a hard time sensing me in a cemetery.

Reese: How did we get…. What-What the hell's happening? What's happening to me?

Cole: Just... breathe. Try to calm down.

Reese: What are you?

Cole: Somebody who just saved your life. (Reese freaks out and backs away.) Try to calm down, Inspector. If I were a... murderer, I'd have killed you by now.

Reese: Just-just-just let me go then. I'll just walk away.

Cole: I can't do that. If the demons get to you, they'll find out the way to get to me is to kill Prue, and I can't let that happen.

Reese: When you say... 'demon'?

Cole: I don't mean as a metaphor.

[Cut to the manor. Leo places the lamp on a table. Phoebe is waiting near the phone.]

Phoebe: Okay. Davidson would answer our page. Something must have happened to him.

(Prue comes down the stairs.)

Prue: Cole's gone.

Leo: What do you mean, gone?

Prue: I mean, he's not here. I've looked everywhere. He must have gone after Davidson alone, to protect us.

Piper: Yeah, but if the Seekers get to him first….

Prue: We've gotta get Cole to bring him back here. The mausoleum. He could've taken him to the mausoleum. That's where Cole stays.

Piper: Is there any chance that's where you saw the Inspector die in your premonition?

Phoebe: Maybe. Let's go.

(They head towards the door.)

Prue: I could astral there faster.

Leo: What if the demons show up? You can't vanquish them. You'll need the power of three.

Prue: So then I won't vanquish them. I'll just protect Cole and Reese long enough to get them outta there.

Phoebe: Prue….

Prue: Phoebe, your premonition is not gonna come true. I told you, this is one fight Death is not gonna win.

[Cut to the mausoleum. Cole pushes Reese against the wall.]

Reese: Stay the hell away from me.

Cole: I told you, I'm not gonna hurt you.

(The Seekers fade in.)

Seeker #1: Belthazor, I assume.

Cole: I'm sorry, who?

Seeker #1: We sensed your shimmer. You're losing your touch.

Cole: Leave him out of this.

Seeker #1: Why would we want him, now that we have you?

Seeker #2: Unless the human knows something Belthazor doesn't want us to know.

(Prue astral projects in.)

Prue: Hi. Need a little help?

Cole: What are you doing here?

(Prue winks at him.)

Reece: How did you get here? What the hell's going on?

Seeker #1: Well, well, well. The mighty Belthazor, in bed with a witch.

(Reese tries to run away but Seeker #2 throws him against the wall. Cole tackles Seeker #1. Prue kicks Seeker #2 and he flies into a cement statue. Death dark wisps in beside Reece.) No.

(Seeker #1 holds Cole on the ground.)

Cole: Prue!

(Cole pushes Seeker #1 off and #2 jumps on him.)

Prue: (to Death) Come on and fight, you miserable coward.

(She kicks and punches him but goes straight through him. The Seekers hold down Cole. They show their fangs.)

Cole: Prue!

(Prue stops kicking and punching Death.)

Angel of Death: It's no use. It's his time.

Prue: Over my dead body.

(She continues to kick and punch him. Cole pushes off the seekers and looks over at Prue. He can't see Death. He throws energy balls at the Seekers but they fade away. Death dark wisps away.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Leo places the lamp on a different table. Piper stands behind him.]

Piper: It's... just so _bright_.

Leo: Of course it's bright. It's supposed to represent the light of eternal love.

Piper: Wait, does that mean we can never turn if off?

Phoebe: At this rate you're gonna turn it off in record time.

Piper: I'm just saying, I don't think it belongs in the living room.

Leo: Or the parlor, the dining room, the foyer….

Piper: Pheebs?

Phoebe: Oh, do you think I'm stupid? I am staying out of this. Besides, I'm more concerned about-

(Cole and Prue walk in. Cole is carrying Reese.)

Phoebe: What happened? Is he okay?

Cole: The Seekers were at the Courthouse waiting for him.

Prue: And then they tracked Cole to the mausoleum.

Leo: Well, how do you know they didn't track you here?

Cole: They retreated first. They have to be close to a shimmer to track it. But the Seekers will be back and they'll be out for blood. The only thing they don't know is how to find us.

Piper: Cole, you were supposed to stick with us, remember?

Cole: I was trying to protect you. All of you.

Prue: By exposing yourself?

Cole: Better me than you.

Prue: You know, the one thing you failed to consider, Cole, is no matter how dangerous Davidson is to us, you are more dangerous. You're a part of our lives now. You know almost everything about us. If you had lost….

Cole: The Seekers could use what I know to destroy you.

Leo: I better check with the Elders. This is getting complicated.

(Reese starts to wake up and he sees Leo orb out. He freaks out.)

Prue: Uh, Inspector, you hit your head.

(He jumps up off the couch and pulls out his gun.)

Reese: I didn't hit it that hard. Whatever I just saw, it wasn't because I hit my head.

Prue: Alright, look. I know that this may seem hard to believe after everything that you've been through tonight, but we are on your side, okay. We're the good guys.

Reese: I don't know what you people are, but good isn't topping my list of ideas.

Cole: Be that as it may, we can't let you leave.

Prue: Cole.

Reese: Try and stop me.

Cole: Inspector, you're in a room with three witches and a demon, do you really think that gun's gonna help?

Prue: Look, I don't really know how to tell you this, but it's not just demons that are after you. The Angel of Death wants you too. Now please, _please_ , if you stay here, we can protect you.

Reese: I'm not afraid of death. (Cole walks towards him.) You, on the other hand, are a different matter.

(Reese runs outside.)

Prue: Cole.

Cole: He's gonna expose you. He'll gather evidence and-

Piper: Cole, we don't _kidnap_ _cops_ and then hold them against their will.

Phoebe: But we do follow them, and protect them against their will. Come on.

Prue: (to Cole) Not you, you stay here.

Cole: So, what? I'm just-I'm just meant to wait here?

Piper: Yeah. No shimmering, and lock the door behind us. Prue?

Prue: You guys go ahead.

Phoebe: What about the demons?

Prue: Yeah, the demons are just pawns. I'm going over their heads.

(Piper and Phoebe leave.)

[Scene: Beach. Prue is there chanting.]

Prue: "Spirits of air, sand and sea/Converge to set the Angel free/In the wind I send this rhyme/ Bring Death before me, before my time." Come on, I know that you can hear me.

(The Angel of Death dark wisp in.)

Angel of Death: Are you sure you really want me?

Prue: Uh….

Angel of Death: Come on, I don't have all day. There are people waiting. I _definitely_ don't have all day. So what is it? I took your husband and you want him back? Your brother? Your _mother_?

Prue: Don't talk about her, don't talk about my mother.

Angel of Death: That should've been an easy guess with those sad little girl eyes.

Prue: Alright. You want Reece Davidson, and it's my job to protect him. So what do you want from me? What do I have to do?

Angel of Death: That's not why you called me.

Prue: Yes, it is.

Angel of Death: No, that's an excuse. You're mad at me for taking mummy.

Prue: I told you not to talk about her.

Angel of Death: What were you? Ten? I'm just guessing now.

Prue: Just _stop it_!

Angel of Death: Younger, I bet. And now what? You think by saving this, which is it, Davidson, you think you'll have beaten me somehow. Somehow you'll have _finally_ won.

Prue: Just go away.

Angel of Death: _No_. You wanted me, now you've _got_ me. You're wasting _precious time_.

Prue: I'm sorry.

Angel of Death: It's not _my_ time you're wasting, it's _yours_. You refuse to accept me for what I am which keeps you from mourning me.

Prue: You don't know me. You don't know anything about me.

Angel of Death: But I've seen it _so many times_ before. The _anger_ , the _pain_. You lock up your tears and angrily _steel_ yourself against me as if I was the ultimate evil.

Prue: You _are_ the ultimate evil.

Angel of Death: No. I'm not good _or_ evil, I just _am_. I'm inevitable.

Prue: What do I have to do to save Davidson?

Angel of Death: Huh. You still don't get it, do you? There's nothing you _can_ do.

Prue: I can't just let an innocent man die.

Angel of Death: You _have_ to let him die. You have no _choice_. And until you learn to accept that, you'll just keep _missing_ the bigger picture.

Prue: What bigger picture?

Angel of Death: I'll show you. Oh, don't worry. It's not your time. Well, not just yet anyway.

(The Angel of Death holds out his hand and Prue takes it. They dark wisp away.)

[Scene: Cemetery. People are there attending Andrea's funeral.]

[Cut to Piper's car, which is parked nearby. Phoebe's on her cell phone.]

Phoebe: Prue left right after we did. And she hasn't been back there?

Cole: (on phone) _No one's_ been here. I'm going out of my mind.

Phoebe: Yeah, try sitting in a car for sixteen hours.

Cole: No sign of the demons?

Phoebe: No, not yet. But Davidson lead us to a, uh….

Cole: To a what?

Phoebe: Never mind. Uh, if Prue comes back, tell her to call us. (She hangs up.) Okay, so now what?

Piper: Well, we can't crash the funeral. I guess we just watch from here.

Phoebe: I don't understand. You tell a guy that _Death_ is after him and he goes to a cemetery. How smart is that?

[Cut back to the funeral. The Seekers walk over to Reece.]

Reece: You want me? Fine. But these people have been through enough.

(Reece walks away and the Seekers follow.)

[Cut to the car.]

Piper: Phoebe. (They get out of the car. The Seekers follow Reece into a church. Seeker #2 closes the door and puts a bar in the handles. Phoebe and Piper arrive outside. Reece gets out his gun and shoots at the demons.)

Phoebe: Reece, get out of there!

Piper: Run!

(Seeker #2 floats behind Reece.)

Seeker #1: You've been so _brave_ , Inspector. Don't ruin it now. Where's Belthazor?

Reece: Belthazor?

(Prue and the Angel of Death dark wisp in. Seeker #2 bites Reece's neck. Prue gasps and looks away.)

Prue: Oh my god.

Angel of Death: It's his time. Just like it was your mother's time.

Phoebe: Prue?!

Piper: Prue, open the gate!

Death: Stop fighting me.

(The Seekers fade away. The Angel of Death walks over to Reece and his spirit rises from his body. He and the Angel of Death dark wisp away.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Church. Continued from before. Phoebe and Piper get inside.]

Piper: Prue.

Phoebe: Are you okay?

Prue: I don't know.

Phoebe: Did the demons do something to you?

Prue: No.

Piper: How did you even get in here?

Prue: Uh, Death brought me.

Phoebe: _I'm sorry?_

Prue: You know, I-I don't completely understand it myself.

Piper: Prue, how could you just stand there and _let him die_?

Prue: Because it was his time, alright. I wanted to save him, but I couldn't.

Piper: You didn't even _try_.

Prue: I'm sorry. (Prue kneels down beside Reece and cries.) I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[Scene: Manor. The phone rings. Cole walks into the foyer to answer it. Seeker #1 fades in in front of him.]

Cole: Ever hear of a doorbell?

Seeker #1: I thought we'd surprise you.

(Seeker #2 jumps on top of Cole. The answering machine picks up.)

[Cut to the car.]

Prue: (on phone) Cole, if you're there, pick up the phone. Actually, don't pick up the phone, just get out of the manor. (to Piper and Phoebe) Should I astral there?

Piper: I think we should stick together.

Prue: Faster.

(Piper goes faster and almost crashes into a car.)

[Cut back to the manor. Cole hits Seeker #2 with a lamp and he falls into a table. Seeker #1 jumps on Cole and tries to bite him. Cole pushes him off and throws two energy balls at him. He dodges both. Seeker #2 jumps on Cole and they crash into the furniture. Cole is knocked unconscious.)

Seeker #1: Now. Let's see what you _don't_ want us to know.

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in. Prue uses her power on the Seekers before going over to Seeker #2. Phoebe hits Seeker #1 in the face and Prue kicks Seeker #2 in the stomach. Piper helps Cole up.)

Piper: Okay, come on, come on.

(Prue continues to kick Seeker #2.)

Cole: Prue. (She spins around.) Don't.

(Prue joins Piper and Phoebe and they recite a spell.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Knowledge gained by murderous means is wisdom's bitter enemy. The mind that burns with stolen fire, will now become your funeral pyre."

(Smoke rises from the Seekers and they are engulfed in flames. They disappear. Prue goes over to Cole and they kiss.)

Prue: Well, at least we saved one. And no one's more important.

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Wow, nice timing. You missed the show.

Leo: I know, but they told me to miss it. (to Prue) You okay?

Prue: Yeah.

Piper: What do you mean they _told_ you to miss it? The Elders were behind this whole thing?

Leo: No, but they knew they had to let Prue learn a lesson by herself. The hard way.

Cole: What lesson?

Prue: That Death is not the evil.

Phoebe: You okay?

Prue: Yeah.

(Prue leaves the room with Cole.)

Leo: She just needs some time.

Piper: And we need a maid. (Phoebe leaves the room.) You know, I was thinking. This lamp is not worth fighting over, so if you love it, then I love it.

Leo: Yeah?

Piper: _Yeah_. I mean, uh, life's too short. (They kiss. Leo knocks the table the lamp was on and it smashes on the floor.) Ooh! _Wow_. _Now_ I love it even more.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Beach. Prue is sitting on some rocks looking out at the water. The Angel of Death dark wisps in.]

Angel of Death: You contemplating the tides? Can't control them anymore than me.

Prue: Okay, I get that you're not evil, but what I don't get is why I wasn't supposed to fight the demons.

Angel of Death: Well, you were alone and outnumbered.

Prue: I still could've fought.

Angel of Death: But you would've _lost_ , Prue.

Prue: How did you know my name?

Angel of Death: I read it, off of my list. It was the next one after Reece Davidson.

Prue: You were coming for me.

Angel of Death: If you hadn't've stopped fighting me, yes. That's why you were able to see me. It's the _bigger picture_ , Prue. Focusing all your anger against me leaves you vulnerable to the real evils of the world. You'd do well to remember that in the future. _What_?

Prue: I don't know, you know. I've been... mad at you for so long, ever since mom died. I don't know how else to be.

Angel of Death: You grieve, and then you move on.

(The Angel of Death dark wisps away. Prue sits there and cries.)


	17. Pre-Witched

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Pre-Witched**

[Scene: Manor. Bathroom. Piper and Leo are in the shower. They are giggling.]

Piper: See, we finally found a place where we can be alone.

Leo: Yeah, this is perfect. Now all we have to do is move all of our stuff in here and nobody will bother us.

Piper: Yeah.

(They kiss. There's a knock at the door and Phoebe walks in covering her eyes.)

Phoebe: I'm not looking at anything, and I do not see anything. No one's looking, no one's looking at anything. (She peeks through the gap between her fingers.) I just need to get my gloss.

Piper: _Phoebe!_

Phoebe: I'm sorry. Were you guys in the middle of the….? Ew!

Piper: _No_ , not yet. Phoebe, would you just get out of here?!

(Phoebe gets her gloss out of a drawer.)

Phoebe: Found it. Okay, I'm going now. Outta here. Found the gloss.

(She heads towards the door.)

Piper: Watch out for the-

(Phoebe runs into the wall.)

Phoebe: Ooh! Ow. I'm okay.

(She leaves.)

[Time lapse. Piper's room. Piper and Leo are in their robes. Prue knocks and then walks in.]

Prue: Hey, you guys.

Piper: Heya, Prue, are you lost?

Prue: Uh, no, but my keys are. Have you seen them?

Piper: No. Have you seen the way out?

Prue: Uh, I-I-I knocked, didn't I?

Piper: But you didn't wait for an answer.

Prue: Oh, right, god, I'm really sorry. Look at me. Look at me, I'm leaving, I'm leaving.

Piper: Yes.

(Prue leaves.)

Leo: Well, we knew what we were getting into.

Piper: So maybe it's time we get out of it.

Leo: What do you mean?

Piper: Okay, once upon a time, before we were _witchy_ women, Prue and I shared this amazing apartment in North Beach. But then when Grams got sick, we decided to move back to the manor for a while, and we gave up the apartment to friends and your wife was smart enough to keep in touch with them.

Leo: Should I be taking notes?

Piper: They're moving out. They're moving out, and they will give us first shot at taking over the lease.

Leo: Wow. Are you sure we can?

Piper: Well, the rent's a little steep, but-

Leo: No, no, no, I mean, the _bigger_ are you sure we can. You guys didn't get your powers until you all moved back in together. There might be some supernatural ramifications to living apart.

Piper: Okay, but what about the _marital_ ramifications to living _together_? I mean, Leo, everything we do is about navigating our _charmed_ lives. I mean, when do we get to concentrate on our _married_ life? Maybe this apartment falling into our laps is a sign. A sign that it's time to move out of the manor and _in_ together. (They kiss.) What do you think the odds are of pulling this off before the next demon attacks?

[Scene: A witch's apartment. A witch is kneeling in front of her altar, chanting. Five candles are floating around her. Something lurks behind her. Her black cat jumps on her lap and gives her a fright.]

Witch: Oh! _Shadow_. You gave me a fright, little one. You know better than to interrupt me during a ritual. Now go. Go. (The cat walks away. The witch continues chanting. The cat jumps on the bar and knocks off a bottle.) Ugh! What on earth are you doing?! (The cat knocks another bottle off.) Shadow? (The cat hisses at her.) Don't do this. _Please_. (It pushes another bottle full of black liquid closer to the edge.) _No_!

(The cat pushes the bottle off with its paw and it smashes on the floor. The cat jumps on the floor and stands in the liquid. Mist surrounds the cat and it changes into a human.)

Man: What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?

(She screams and disappears.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are sitting around the table. Prue, Phoebe, and Leo are reading different sections of the newspaper. Piper's just sitting there.]

Phoebe: Flakes.

(Leo passes Phoebe the Corn Flakes.)

Prue: Ugh, the Warriors.

Phoebe: Pathetic defense.

Leo: Someone pass the, uh….

Phoebe: Yeah, I got it. Hey, what time does the BART...?

Prue: Every fifteen minutes on a Saturday.

Phoebe: Good. Mamma needs a new pair of shoes. I know, limited funds. I'll limit my shopping to window, I promise.

Prue: I will gladly trade somebody for the opinion page.

Piper: Leo and I are moving. (Everyone puts down their papers.) _Thinking_ of moving, out of the manor. Um, milk?

Prue: Excuse me?

Phoebe: Wait a minute. Life altering plans cannot be squeezed in between 'pass the newspaper' and 'who ate the Special K?'.

Piper: Okay, look, we all knew this would happen sooner or later. It's just _sooner_. Well, actually, it's later, because I've been married for weeks now and we're still living in a bedroom with the same wallpaper that I picked out when I was _nine_. Not to mention the _bathroom sharing_ , and the family breakfasts.

Prue: And the whole _saving the world on a weekly basis_ thing. I mean, Piper, we don't live here just for sentimental value, alright. We live here because we're the strongest here.

Piper: Right, I know. Leo, a little assist?

Leo: Well, there have been times when you've handled things on your own, I mean, without Piper.

Piper: Like when I went to Hawaii, or when I went away with Leo, and everything was fine.

Phoebe: Do I get to kick her first?

Prue: Everything was _not_ fine, Piper, alright. The charmed gig is all about being a trio, alright. Without you-

Leo: Well, you'd still have her. We wouldn't be moving far.

Piper: Just far enough so I can have my own life, _our_ own life. We all knew this would happen. I'm just the one that's saying it first. We can't live together _forever_.

Prue: Right, and we also cannot ignore the responsibility that we inherited from our family.

Piper: Well, you guys have to try and understand that I have _two_ families now. Besides, wasn't it you, Miss Phoebe, who moved to _New York_ three years ago?

Phoebe: No, no, that doesn't count. That was before the whole destiny thing kicked in. We didn't get our powers until six months after Grams died. Speaking of, what do you think she would say if she knew you were even _considering_ this?

[Flashback: Three years earlier. Manor. Kitchen. Prue is there talking on the phone. Grams walks in holding the newspaper.]

Grams: _Morons_! Why does that prepubescent have to throw the paper in the shrubbery?

Prue: (on phone) Roger seems to have forgotten an entire _forest_ of his family tree, so now the head count for the ceremony is up to 180. I know.

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: _Grams_! The doctor was _very_ clear when he said _no_ caffeine. Here, have some nice tea instead.

(She gets the tea out of the cupboard.)

Prue: (on phone) No, that would just be my sister yelling, and it will be a lot easier when I move out.

Piper:Grams, where's the paper?!

(Grams hands her the paper. Piper smiles.)

Prue: (on phone) Can I call you back? Thank you.

(Prue hangs up.)

Grams: You know, I'm _so_ glad to have the two of you in the same place. It's a rarity. Oh, listen, do me a favour. I just treated myself and bought…tada! (Holds up a camera.)

Prue: A _great_ new camera. Even though it's last year's model. What is it? A '96?

Grams: Well, I'd just like to just get a picture, you know.

Piper: Did you say you were moving out?

Prue: Yes, I did. We can't all live here with Grams forever.

Grams: Yeah, uh, maybe just a couple of quick shots, you know, candids.

Piper: Uh, when was this decided?

Prue: Oh, I don't know, probably when I was proposed to.

(Grams grabs her chest.)

Grams: Uh, maybe later.

Piper: Grams? (They go over to her.) Please sit down.

Prue: You only just got back from hospital.

Grams: Okay. I'll take it easy. (The doorbell rings.) Right after I get that.

[Cut to the foyer. Prue and Piper follow Grams in. Grams opens the door. Phoebe and two policemen are standing there.]

Phoebe: Oh, you guys didn't have to get out of bed for little old me.

Cop: Mrs. Halliwell?

Grams: Can I hear what she did first before I answer that?

Cop: She was caught shoplifting.

Phoebe: Oh, that is _so not true_. I just forgot to pay for them, Grams. The store's not even pressing charges.

Grams: _Phoebe._

Phoebe: Oh, please don't sound so disappointed. Look, you're always talking about how we should spend more time together and, well, here we all are. Okay, that was really fun.

(Phoebe walks inside.)

Grams: Phoebe, what is the matter with you? How can you behave so _recklessly_? What about your destiny, your-your future?

Phoebe: Well, maybe my future plans don't match up to the ones that you've mapped out.

Cop: We're, uh, gonna need to take back those shoes that you-

Phoebe: _Forgot_ to pay for?

Cop: _Right._

(Phoebe takes off the shoes.)

[Cut back to the present. Phoebe is at a shoe store. She hands a pair of shoes back to the salesman.]

Phoebe: They're _just_ out of my price range.

Salesman: But they're-

Phoebe: _Perfect_ , I know. And I'm sure all these will be perfect too. (She hands back more shoes. The salesman walks away. Phoebe stands up and picks up another shoe.) Okay, I'm weak, can you show me this one too? (The warlock stands behind Phoebe and takes the shoe off her. He throws it away. Phoebe turns around and his eyes glow.) Or not.

Warlock: Those are so _last season_.

(Phoebe swings a punch and he blocks it. He flips her over. He then levitates her in the air.)

Phoebe: Whoa, down boy. (He drops her on the floor.) Whoa. Who'd you steal that power from?

Warlock: That's for me to know and you to find-

(Phoebe kicks him and he falls into a chair.)

Phoebe: I hear spikes are making a comeback.

(She throws a high-heeled shoe at him and it sticks in his forehead. He disappears.)

[Scene: A box store. Piper and Leo walk out carrying a pile of flattened boxes.]

Piper: I think we got too many boxes.

Leo: No, we didn't.

Piper: Are you saying I have too much stuff?

Leo: Yes, I am.

Piper: You do realize the only reason I'm letting you get away with that is because you're the only one on my team right now.

Leo: Yes, I do. They just need a little time to get used to the idea.

Piper: Well, moving out is a big deal for _me_ too. I could use some _support_ right now. (The same warlock as before walks up to Piper and makes her fly up into the air. She freezes him and she lands on the ground. He starts to fight through her freeze.) Leo, help!

Leo: Piper.

(Leo throws her a Stanley knife.)

Piper: What am I supposed to do with this? (He motions to stab the warlock.) No, no way. Too messy. Too violent.

(She stabs the warlock anyway and he disappears.)

Leo: You okay?

[Flashback. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are standing outside the manor, while Grams is trying to take a photo of them.]

Phoebe: I'm _fine_. Whatever.

Grams: Okay, girls, now if you could just move a little closer, okay? Uh, Phoebe, turn to me. I wanna be able to get your good side.

Piper: I don't think she has one today, Grams.

Phoebe: Can we _please_ get this over with?

Prue: Why? You got plans?

Grams: Prue, all I'm getting is shoulder.

Prue: Anyone that I know?

Phoebe: I'm sure lying beneath _all that sarcasm_ there is a point. And if it has anything to do with Roger….

Prue: Well, I mean, he said that you called him yesterday.

Phoebe: _Looking for you_ , Prue. I'm not gonna defend myself when I didn't do anything wrong.

Prue: Really?

Phoebe: Just trying to be _nice_ to the guy, considering he's gonna be part of this family soon. You know, which I'm not even sure _I_ wanna be part of this family.

Grams: The sun is shifting. Could you move down a step, please?

(They do so.)

Phoebe: And why would I spend my time on a _wimp_ who's got _mother issues_?

Prue: I don't know, but why should I believe _anything_ that you say? I mean, you don't even know what the difference is between what belongs to you and what belongs to, oh, let's say Macy's.

Piper: Alrighty then. Are we done?

(Grams gasps and grabs her chest.)

Phoebe: Grams.

(They go over to her.)

Prue: Grams.

Piper: Okay, okay, take shallow breaths.

Prue: Should I call the doctor?

Grams: No doctor. _Just_ a picture. Is it too much for an old lady to ask her granddaughters to _retract their claws_ , _stand still_ , and look at me _long enough_ to take _one_ lousy picture?

(The girls stand on the lawn and pose for the camera. Grams takes the picture.)

[Cut back to the present. Prue walks in the foyer from the living room. Phoebe comes through the front door carrying two shoeboxes.]

Prue: Hi, what happened to the window shopping?

Phoebe: Turns out these were a right off. Who knew product spring line could be used to fight evil? I killed a—

(Piper walks in.)

Piper: _Warlock_ appeared outta nowhere, had to kill him.

Phoebe: Wait, you too?

Prue: Uh... me three. Warlock attacked me in the attic.

Piper: Did we miss a convention?

Phoebe: Well, if so, I got the runt. Bad teeth, funky clothes, and _way_ too easy to kill.

Prue: Black hair?

Piper: _Bad breath?_

Phoebe: You know him?

Prue: Uh, I think I killed him.

(The warlock appears.)

Warlock: Care to try again?

(The warlock makes Piper fly up into the corner of the room. Phoebe stabs the warlock in the back with the tip of an umbrella. Piper falls to the floor. Prue helps her up.)

Phoebe: Okay, so that does it.

Piper: _Again?_

Phoebe: Okay, does anyone else think that was weird? Like he wasn't even trying?

Piper: Almost as if he wasn't even interested. What do you think he was up to?

Phoebe: Or _is_ up to? How do we know he's really gone?

Prue: We don't. But we all have vanquished him once today.

Phoebe: And?

Prue: Well, what if he can't be vanquished?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Attic. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there looking through the Book of Shadows.]

Phoebe: (singing) I've been working on a vanquish all my live…. (Prue gives her a look. The pages of the Book of Shadows flip by themselves. It stops at a page.) _Whoa_.

Prue: Okay.

Piper: Thanks, Grams.

Phoebe: It's so weird that we listen to her more now than when she was alive.

Prue: (reading from the Book) 'How to perform a Séance. A ceremony to contact the dead.'

Piper: But the guy we're dealing with won't die. So that's not gonna help.

Prue: Yeah, I don't know. Grams must be very, very confused.

(Prue closes the Book but it opens back up to the Seance page.)

Phoebe: Very _testy_ also. Hmm. Okay, we're gonna need six candles, white and purple, some burning cinnamon, frankincense, and sandalwood. Piper, you wanna grab the white cloth?

(Prue and Phoebe search in a trunk for the ingredients. Piper goes over to another trunk.)

Piper: You know, this trunk would go great at the foot of our bed.

Prue: Yeah, my _foot_ would look great on your _butt_. You are so _not_ taking that, okay? It holds all of our ritual stuff.

Piper: I just want things to remember this place by. (She picks up a bottle.) How about this? Something to bring a piece of Grams to my place.

Prue: Okay, Sweetie. Can we try to contact the dead now, please?

[Time lapse. The girls have everything set up and are sitting around a table.]

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Beloved unknown spirit, we seek your guidance. We ask that you commune with us and move among us."

(They repeat it. A witch appears.)

Witch: Forgive me, but why….?

Phoebe: We don't know.

Piper: We were told in a roundabout sort of way that you might be able to help us.

Witch: Are you witches? You're the three _sister witches_ , the _Charmed Ones_ , aren't you?

Phoebe: And you're a witch too?

Witch: I-I _was_. I'm sorry, this is so new. I haven't exactly figured it all out yet.

Prue: We think that we're up against an evil that can't be killed. We've nixed him four times, but….

Phoebe: And since you're the only one that answered our call….

Witch: The spirits must think I know who you're up against.

Phoebe: Right.

Witch: You said you've killed him _four times_?

Prue: Yeah, and it's like he just keeps coming back for more. Like he…

Witch: _Wants to die._

Piper: Do you know who he is?

Witch: He _was_ my familiar. A feline I called Shadow. He's a warlock now, which a familiar becomes when he betrays his witch.

Prue: That must be why we can't kill him. The whole nine lives thing.

Piper: So if we kill him five more times he should be gone though, right?

Witch: No, that's exactly what you _can't_ do. See, once a familiar becomes a warlock, they have until the next new moon to purge itself of its new life. If it succeeds, it becomes immortal. If it fails, it returns to its animal state for eternity. Shadow _was_ a cat. So it has to shed all nine of its familiar lives.

Phoebe: So why bother us? Why not just jump in front of nine buses?

Prue: Because we're the only ones strong enough to kill him.

Piper: And he knew where to find us. What, are we like in the Warlock's Guide to San Francisco?

Phoebe: Okay, so this should be a piece of cake. All we have to do is make sure we don't kill this guy five more times before the next full moon.

Piper: That's two days. No problem.

Prue: I'm sorry, this just seems so callous. I mean, you just lost your life and we're treating you like 411.

Witch: It's okay. It's just…. I'm at peace now. But the ones I loved…. When someone is taken from you suddenly, there are no goodbyes.

Prue: Something we're all too familiar with.

Witch: At its core, evil exists for one reason, to spread loss. Be careful not to lose each other. Take care, and blessed be.

(She disappears. Piper blows out the candle.)

[Flashback. Attic. Grams closes a window]

Grams: Damn wind keeps blowing out my candles. I'm sorry, Patty. I got cut off. (She lights a candle and Patty appears.) It's just what troubles me about your daughters is not where they came from, it's where they're going.

Patty: It's just a phase. When their destiny's revealed, they'll come together.

Grams: But what if they don't? What if they never do? What if the gift is too much for them to handle and they….? Well, regardless, I fear there may be only one option if I can't find a way to bring these girls together.

Patty: Mother, that's nonsense.

Grams: Perhaps. Goodnight, my darling.

(She blows out the candle.)

[Cut to the present. Manor. Kitchen. It's pitch black. Phoebe walks in.]

Phoebe: Hey, who turned out the lights? (Phoebe turns on the light and the warlock attacks her. He throws her over the table. She kicks him and he falls on a knife. He disappears.) _Uh-oh_!

(Prue and Piper run in.)

Piper: What happened?

Phoebe: I think I killed the warlock again.

Prue: Ugh, Phoebe!

Piper: Phoebe!

Phoebe: Well, I didn't mean to. It was a gut reaction. You know, self-preservation and stuff.

Prue: Hmm. (Prue leaves the kitchen. Phoebe and Piper follow.) You know, I've been thinking. I'm pretty sure he won't actually hurt us. I mean, he needs us. So, let's just say he knocks one of us off.

Piper: Then the power of three would be broken and we wouldn't have the strength to kill him.

Phoebe: And then he takes a permanent cat nap. But we're assuming that he's smart enough to know this. I mean, what if he doesn't know that he shouldn't kill us and we just sit there and watch it happen?

Prue: Yeah, well, what other choice do we have? I mean, we kill him four more times, he wins, becomes more powerful than we can handle. Either way, we lose.

Piper: I vote for not losing at all.

(Phoebe sees boxes of Piper's stuff sitting in the foyer.)

Phoebe: Wow.

Piper: Uh, yeah, sorry. I'll get all that stuff out of the way as soon as-

Phoebe: You're really doing this, huh?

Piper: Yeah. You know, we have lived apart before.

Prue: Our _lives_ were apart, Piper. It's different now. I just think that we need to talk this through. That way we all know exactly what the consequences are, for all of us.

(Kit meows.)

Phoebe: Ooh, saved by the meow. You know, I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to look at Kit in quite the same way. Or get undressed in front of him for that matter.

Piper: You guys are right. We should talk this through.

(Piper heads for the door.)

[Flashback. Piper opens the front door and Kit is standing on the porch.]

Piper: Ugh, why does this stupid cat keep hanging around? Who do you belong to? Go home. Shoo! (Prue walks out.) What did you wanna talk about?

Prue: Uh, let's just go for a walk. (They start walking down the stairs.) Hi, Kitty. So, there's just a little detail about the wedding that hasn't been worked out yet. Just listen to me, okay? I want you to be my maid of honour.

Piper: Me?

(They start walking down the street.)

Prue: I mean, it's not like I would actually ask Phoebe.

Piper: So I win by default? Wow, Prue, you really know how to flatter a girl.

Prue: Piper, can you just give me the tiniest of breaks here, okay? This is not how I ever thought this whole thing would happen. Oh my god, I would love for _both_ of my sisters to be my best friend, but clearly that is _not_ the case. And maybe one day things will change. but….

Piper: Prue, it's gonna take more than time. I mean, I'm happy for you, I-I am, and I know you have all these big plans, but what about the rest of us? I mean, you move in with Roger, and then I am stuck here alone taking care of Grams, and Phoebe's out of control. What if-what if there's an emergency? What if something happens?

Prue: Okay, I won't be far away. It's not like you guys won't be able to get a hold of me.

Piper: I just think we should talk this through, so we know what the consequences are. Okay, look, maybe a part of me is jealous because, I mean, you've got this great guy, and you're gonna have this _beautiful_ wedding, and I'm just not very good with guys. Sometimes I think I'll _never_ find true love.

Prue: Piper….

(Leo walks past and bumps into Piper.)

Piper: Oh, sorry.

Leo: No, it's my fault, sorry.

(Piper looks back at him and then continues walking. Leo orbs out.)

[Cut to the present. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are having coffee at a café.]

Piper: You know, just because I'm moving out, doesn't mean we still can't do this.

Phoebe: What? Mainline caffeine while waxing on warlock issues?

Piper: No, hangout. You know, I don't wanna be one of those old married lepers that nobody thinks is fun anymore.

Prue: You've never been fun, Piper.

Piper: I've always been fun, Prue. I am just _Mrs._ Fun now.

Prue: Oh, Mrs. Fun. You know, the life changes from the move will work itself out. It's the supernatural ones we're concerned about.

Piper: But we get attacked separately all the time. Like yesterday. And we just came together and sorted it out then.

(The warlock appears in the chair next to them.)

Warlock: You know, you girls are getting harder and harder to find. I was beginning to think you were trying to avoid me.

Prue: Wow, you've been thinking. That's a pretty big step for a warlock. Ugh, god, I am so sorry, that was awfully _catty_ of me, wasn't it?

Warlock: Is this the part where I'm supposed to go 'whoo, they did research' and run away?

Phoebe: Might be a good idea.

Warlock: Or what? You'll kill me?

Piper: No, actually, we'll do worse. We won't touch you.

Warlock: Look at that. Witches think they have this one figured out. Well, let me tell you all something. (He grabs a woman who walks past.) Don't dance if you don't know the steps.

(The warlock stabs the woman in the back. Piper freezes everyone. Phoebe picks up a knife and stabs the warlock. He disappears and the woman falls to the floor.)

Phoebe: Oh my god.

Prue: Call 911!

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there. Piper is putting ingredients in a pot.]

Phoebe: That girl. There's just no reason. I got used to there being a reason, you know, an explanation. But she didn't even…

Prue: Stand a chance. But there _was_ a reason, Pheebs. He was sending a message.

Piper: Yeah, and we got it loud and clear. But there's nothing we can do that we haven't already done.

Phoebe: So, what, he just keeps killing until we kill him?

Piper: Which is exactly what he wants.

Prue: It's exactly what we can't do. Uh, is that a potion?

Piper: I wouldn't know where to begin. I'm just keeping my hands busy. It's something Grams taught me, actually. To improvise. But all I've come up with is... mud.

Phoebe: So how do we kill a warlock we know we shouldn't be killing?

Prue: Well, we've only got three more chances to figure that out.

[Flashback: Manor. Kitchen. Grams is there making a potion. Piper walks in.]

Piper: I am going to finish the brownies and don't even try and stop me.

Grams: Well, I'm afraid Prue's beaten you to it. But I've got a back up. What do you say we whip up your favourite double chocolate decadence cake.

Piper: Isn't decadence French for 'don't even think about it'? What are you making?

Grams: Oh, just keeping my hands busy. (Phoebe walks in and gets a key off of the hook.) Oh, Phoebe, uh, Piper and I were just thinking of whipping up something we'll regret tomorrow. Care to join us? (Phoebe doesn't answer.) Where are you headed?

Phoebe: Out.

(She leaves.)

Piper: On second thought... do you need a hand? (She throws some ingredients in the pot. Grams smiles.) What?

Grams: How do you know what to add?

Piper: Well, you need to balance the mustard seed, which can be kind of harsh, and the sea salt brings out the flavour of the, um…. Grams….

Grams: Piper, you were born for this, literally. Why do you insist on wasting your talents behind some counter in a bank?

Piper: Because my _talents_ don't come with health benefits, Grams. Prue's getting married, and Phoebe's, well, Phoebe. You know, somebody has to be practical.

Grams: Not at the expense of her dreams.

Piper: No, at the expense of losing this house and not being able to pay your hospital bills. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing you.

(They hug.)

Grams: You could never do that.

Piper: I'm just doing what I have to. It's okay.

(She leaves the room.)

Grams: So am I. (She fills up a small bottle with the potion. She holds it up.) My sweet girls. You're just not ready. I've got to stop you from becoming…

[Cut back to the present. Manor. Living room. The warlock is sitting on the couch.]

Warlock: The Charmed Ones. What does a fella have to do to get killed around here?

Prue: Not gonna happen.

Warlock: Hmm, I could... sever a head. Only take a second.

(He stands up.)

Piper: Don't even think about it. (She freezes him.) Wait a minute, that's it. I'll just keep freezing him until midnight. A new moon means bye-bye bad guy, right?

(He fights through her freeze.)

Warlock: I'm just going to keep getting better and better at this.

Phoebe: Oh, it was a thought.

(They run into the foyer.)

Warlock: Come on, time's wasting. You know I'm just going to keep on killing. And the next one won't go so fast. The next one I'll _savor_. You're telling me all you're gonna do is stand back and watch? How many people have to die before you do what I ask?

Prue: None. (Prue uses her power and a letter opener stabs the warlock. He disappears.) I'm sorry, I…

Piper: Had to.

Phoebe: I would've done it first, but you beat me to it.

Prue: Alright, well, he's only got two more lives left.

Piper: And we've only got one option.

Phoebe: But we already looked in the book.

Prue: We look again. No more pussy-footing around.

[Flashback: Attic. Grams is flipping through the Book of Shadows. Patty's spirit is there.]

Patty: Why now, Mother?

Grams: We both know why. We're just not willing to say it.

Patty: Please don't.

Grams: I'm not well, Patty. When I die-

Patty: _Mother._

Grams: _When_ I die, the girls will receive their powers. I have to stop that from happening.

Patty: But it's their destiny. It's what they're _meant_ to be.

Grams: Who are we to decide that they're meant to be witches?

Patty: Who are we to decide that they're _not_? This isn't your choice to make.

Grams: But the girls are _mine_ to protect.

(Grams grabs her chest.)

Patty: Mom, are you alright?

Grams: I'm _fine_. Don't change the subject. Patty, they're not ready. Do you really want me to put them directly in harm's way? Goodnight. (She blows out the candle and Patty disappears. She uses telekinesis to open a chest and puts the Book of Shadows in it. She picks up the small bottle.) It's now or never.

(She walks out of the attic and locks the door. She goes to the stairs. She screams out in pain and grabs her chest. She drops the bottle and falls to the bottom of the stairs. Piper runs over to her.)

Piper: Grams?! Grams?! Prue! Phoebe! Somebody help!

(Prue and Phoebe run up to them.)

Prue: Oh my god, Grams.

Piper: Oh, god, Grams.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. The warlock is there yelling. He disappears.]

Prue: Well, that's number eight.

Piper: One life to live.

Phoebe: I know life isn't fair, but this _sucks_.

Piper: I know, he left a stain, but I think with a little water and-

Phoebe: Uh, no. Death isn't brief, it's permanent, and this guy gets to cheat it not once, but nine times.

Piper: Yeah, cheaters aren't supposed to prosper.

Prue: You know, if he had any idea what death was really like, you know, the _real_ thing, not the abridged version, he wouldn't be so hot under the collar to do it again.

Phoebe: What if we showed him?

Piper: What do you mean?

Phoebe: Well, every time he dies, he feels pain, right?

Prue: Yeah, but only for a second.

Phoebe: But what if somehow we could catch him in that second? The _instant_ of death in that one moment where he actually feels pain, and then magnify it nine times.

Piper: Then he would feel the pain of nine deaths and it actually might be enough to kill him. I like it.

Prue: Well, we've only got one shot. Any other ideas? (Phoebe shakes her head.) Then let's do it.

[Flashback: Manor. Piper picks up the bottle on the stairs. Prue stands at the bottom of the stairs.]

Prue: Hey.

Piper: Hey.

Prue: You okay?

Piper: I'm... I'm not really. I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this, Prue. I mean, it's not just losing her, it's the funeral arrangements, and the doctors, and the lawyers... and there's nobody left to help us.

Prue: For what it's worth, the service today was really beautiful.

Piper: (starting to cry) She would've liked what you said.

Prue: Thanks. I know that this is gonna sound strange, but... do you think that she heard?

Piper: Yeah, I think she did.

[Cut to the living room. Phoebe is sitting on the couch. Prue and Piper come down the stairs.]

Piper: I'd still like to know what she was _doing_ up there.

Phoebe: Up where?

Prue: Piper thinks that Grams was up in the attic before she died.

Phoebe: That's not possible. She always told us that the attic was sealed off.

Piper: Yeah, well, then what was she doing coming down the stairs?

Phoebe: Um, I think the more important question is, what are _we_ doing?

Prue: What do you mean?

Phoebe: I mean, precisely what Grams was always concerned about. Our future. The only reason we're all still here together is because of her, and now…. Prue, you've already got one foot out the door, and Piper, I know you don't wanna bunk with me any longer than you have to, so let's just face it, she was the glue.

Piper: Why don't we talk about this over dinner? I'll make one of Grams' favourite meals. She always liked the idea of me being in the kitchen.

Prue: Uh, actually, I'm... sort of supposed to spend the night with Roger.

Piper: What about you, Pheebs? Table for two?

Phoebe: Uh, actually, I was thinking about getting outta here.

Piper: Are you going out?

Phoebe: No. Going away. I, um, I'm not sure what my future holds, but I do know it's not in San Francisco.

(Phoebe picks up a bag.)

Prue: Phoebe, you don't have to-

Phoebe: It's okay. We all know that the only thing that I contribute to this threesome is trouble, so…. I'm gonna go and see what New York thinks of me. Whatever my destiny may be, I might find it there.

Piper: Phoebe, what about school?

Phoebe: Well, school will still be there if I come back. Grams always said that we all had a purpose. Maybe we'll have an easier time finding it on our own.

(Phoebe leaves.)

Prue: Uh, I guess I'm gonna….

Piper: Yep.

(Prue leaves.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Phoebe comes down the stairs, Prue comes out of the living room, and Piper comes out of the kitchen/dining room.]

Prue: Spell?

Phoebe: Check! Potion?

Piper: Check! Sharp painful implement?

Prue: Check.

(Prue holds up a fireplace tool.)

Phoebe: Ooh, nice choice.

Prue: Thank you.

Piper: So what is our level of confidence in this plan?

Phoebe: Well, on a scale from one to ten, ten being we whip ass, one being he laughs at us while we're on fire and naked-

Piper: Maybe you should lie to me.

(The warlock bursts in.)

Warlock: Hello, ladies. Hmm, I love the smell of defeated witch in the evening.

Prue: Yeah, can we just get this over with, please?

Warlock: Oh, it's fine when you want to have coffee, but when I want to exchange pleasantries, you're in a hurry to kill me. Where are your manners?

Phoebe: We lost them when that girl lost her life.

Warlock: And who's fault is that? Wait a minute. Do you think I'm an idiot? You've got something up your sleeve.

(Phoebe looks at Prue and Piper.)

Phoebe: Hello? Sleeveless.

Warlock: You know the moment that I gain immortality, I'm coming back here to mangle your pretty little faces.

Piper: You wanna die or not?

Warlock: Do it.

Prue: Alrighty then. Ready? (Prue throws the tool at him.) Now!

(Piper freezes him and throws a potion at him.)

Prue/Piper/Phoebe: "Nine times this evil's cheated death/Felt no pain and kept his breath/This warlock standing in our midst/Let him feel what he has missed."

(Black ghostly shadows float around him.)

Warlock: No! No! _No_!

(The warlock explodes and disappears.)

Piper: Okay, was that for good?

Prue: Well, if it wasn't, he's really gonna miss his ear because it looks like part of its dripping off the clock.

Piper: Yecch.

Phoebe: Um, _ninth_ time's the charm. That was definitely different. He's gone for good.

Piper: And yet somehow we're still here, still together.

Phoebe: Not for long. Is there anything special you wanna do on your last night here?

Piper: Um, I don't know. I guess, can I have a couple of minutes alone?

Prue: Yeah, uh, we'll be upstairs if you, you know.

(Prue and Phoebe go upstairs. Piper sits down and pulls a small bottle out of a box. She sees a note stuck to the bottom of it.)

[Cut to outside. Leo is packing the car. Piper comes out.]

Leo: Everything okay?

Piper: Am I that obvious?

Leo: No, I'm just incredibly perceptive. You wanna pull up a tailgate?

(They sit on the tailgate of the car.)

Piper: Um, something just doesn't feel right. I mean, I know this stuff has to happen, and I want it to happen, it's just that when Prue, Phoebe, and I moved back in together, it made us sisters again. And I don't think we're ready to test that yet. And then there's this. (She hands Leo the note.) I think we both know what those ingredients would do to us. And the fact that Grams was willing to keep us from being witches, to keep us together…. Well, that should mean something, shouldn't it? Are you gonna hate me?

Leo: Not if we can hire movers to move everything back in.

(She hugs him.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Phoebe are sitting on the couch. Piper walks past.]

Prue: Hey, can we talk to you for a second? It's kind of important.

Piper: Sure. Everything okay?

Phoebe: Yeah, it's, um, it's just we're more than excited that you and Leo decided to move back in. Um, we sort of have to ask you to move back out again.

Prue: Of your room. And into mine. I mean, it is twice as big, and you now are twice the people.

Piper: Really?

Prue: Really.

Piper: That would be great. (She sits on Prue and hugs her.) That would be so amazing. That would be so great.

Phoebe: Hey, you know what? I deserve hugs too, because I'm moving all of my stuff out of your bathroom, so you and Leo could do the… you know, private.

Piper: That would be _really_ great.

Prue: See? It will be just like having your own place.

Phoebe: Yeah, only with your sisters right down the hall.

Prue: Yeah, I mean, I know we can't be together forever.

Piper: But it feels good that forever isn't today.

[Cut to the attic. The Book of Shadows closes itself. The triquetra on the front glows.]


	18. Sin Francisco

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Sin Francisco**

[Scene: Street. Prue and Phoebe pull up in the car. They get out and start walking.]

Prue: Alright, it should be around here somewhere.

Phoebe: And you can't be more precise about what 'it' is?

Prue: Okay, I told you, it's some sort of evilly thing.

Phoebe: Why'd I let you talk me into this? I should be at home procrastinating my delinquent ethics paper, not chasing some wild goose.

Prue: Wild _demon_ , okay? I was scrying for unnatural activity and this place came up loud and clear.

Phoebe: Wait a minute, are you telling me that you're actually _looking_ for trouble now? Prue, what happened to putting more _balance_ in your life? You know, less Wicca wonder, more Prue.

Prue: Listen, I shot a magazine cover yesterday, I had a date last night, and then this morning, I am searching for evil. You can't get more balanced than that.

Phoebe: Right, just your typical everyday cosmo girl.

Prue: Well, you and Piper don't need me anymore, so that leaves me plenty of time to help those who do.

Phoebe: Is that what you think? That we don't need you anymore?

Prue: Well, I mean, it's just that I feel like I don't really have to watch out for you guys as much anymore, especially ever since Piper got married.

Phoebe: Prue, this is a _good thing_.

Prue: Yeah. (Prue looks over at a dumpster.) I think that's it.

Phoebe: Good.

Prue: Alright, on the count of three. One, two….

(She uses her power to open the lid of the dumpster.)

Phoebe: Oh my god! (She runs over to it.) It's the coffee maker I wanted!

(She pulls out an empty box.)

Prue: _Phoebe_ , it's just a _carton_.

Phoebe: Oh, right, of course. See, I need you. You just protected me from making a fool out of myself.

Prue: Now there's a full-time job.

Phoebe: Thank you very much. (They continue tp walk down the street.) Hey, so, how's Cole? I haven't seen him in a while.

Prue: Oh, he's been dodging demonic bounty hunters, you know, but he still manages to shimmer into the _bedroom_ when he has a chance. Pops in, and then pops right back out, if you know what I'm talking about.

Phoebe: Huh, I vaguely remember.

Prue: Even though I'm really happy to see him, it's starting to raise old issues for me. Like, does he really love me, or is he just interested in my... charms?

Phoebe: Oh, Prue, come on, you know for a _magical fact_ that he loves you, alright, and think how many times he's risked his life to save you. I don't think that's just sex.

(They hear voices coming from an alley.)

Prue: Seek and you shall find.

[Cut to the alley. Two men are there arguing. One man is holding a small crystal box.]

Man #1: Please, just one more.

Man #2: I told you! (He pushes man #1.) What you want is no longer in this box.

Man #1: I _need_ more. Don't you understand? I've gotta have more!

Man #2: You can never get enough greed, can you?

(Man #2 throws a fireball at him and he flies against a dumpster. Prue and Phoebe run over to them.)

Prue: _Hey!_

(She uses her power on man #2. He drops the box.)

Man #1: The box.

(The two men both dive for the box. Prue uses her power and the box slides across the ground into the street. Man #2 tries to get up and Phoebe kicks him in the face.)

Man #2: The box belongs to Lukas.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, tell Lukas it's been empoun- (He fades away) -ded.

(Prue goes over to Man #1.)

Prue: Hey, it's okay, it's over.

Man #1: I gotta have more. Don't you understand? I've gotta have more!

(He pushes Prue out of the way and runs onto the road.)

Prue: _No!_

(The man is hit by a bus.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: On the street. Continued from before. The police are questioning witnesses. Darryl goes over to Prue.]

Prue: Hey.

Darryl: Hey.

Prue: Did you find out anything?

Darryl: Nothing unusual. Unfortunately we get these kind of suicides all the time.

Prue: Darryl, this was not a suicide, okay? He was driven into the street, _demonically_ driven. I think that I can recognize the signs by now.

Darryl: Alright. It's Robert Pike. He was married with two kids. Worked for Brickson Investments as a stock broker. Very successful.

Prue: The demon accused him of being greedy. I wonder if there's a connection?

Darryl: It's hard to believe. It seems like Mr. Pike wasn't your typical stockbroker. From all accounts, he was more of a philanthropist. He even hosted a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society just last night.

Prue: Well, something must have changed in a hurry because when _we_ saw him, all he cared about was that box.

Darryl: What box?

Prue: This one.

(She opens her bag and he looks inside.)

Darryl: What's in it?

Prue: I don't know, but whatever it is, apparently it's worth _dying_ for.

[Cut to Phoebe being interviewed by a cop.]

Cop: In your opinion, was there anything the bus driver could have done to avoid him?

Phoebe: No, it happened too fast. He didn't have time to react.

Cop: Alright, I think that's it. If I could just have your home phone number in case I have any other questions.

Phoebe: It's the same as my sister's. We live together.

Cop: Really? Just out of curiosity, what would you say if one of my other questions was, can I take you out to dinner?

(Phoebe laughs.)

Phoebe: Ooh, you caught me off-guard with that one.

Cop: That's my job.

Phoebe: Uh, well, you're very good at it. Um, but I-I think that it would be best if those numbers stayed in the report.

Darryl: Officer!

Cop: Excuse me.

(Phoebe walks over to Prue.)

Phoebe: Are you okay?

Prue: Um, I don't know. I keep on thinking about what we could have done differently to try and save him, but he ran into the street so fast, and….

Phoebe: We couldn't have saved him, Prue. Not without knowing more about the demon who did this to him.

(The coroners take the body away.)

Prue: Lukas. To find him, we have to find out what's so special about this box.

[Scene: Lukas' place. Lukas has Man #2 up in the air by the neck.]

Lukas: Do you have any idea how important that box is?!

Man #2: I thought you were working on controlling your anger.

Lucas: _I am controlling my anger!_

(He drops the man. The man holds up a crystal.)

Man #2: At least we got the businessman's soul, Lukas.

Lucas: Yes, but I need to deliver _seven_ souls for seven sins!

Man #2: Can't you just locate the box?

Lucas: _Yes_ , but I have to figure out a way to get around the witches first. Thanks to you. You know, my own self-destruction was supposed to bring me _peace_ from sin. Instead, I am damned to spend eternity inflicting others.

Man #2: You gotta know the product to move it.

Lucas: I know the product! I know how sin _warps_ human desire. Which might be exactly the way to get to the witches. Yeah, sure, why not? Witches have human desires too, right? (He laughs.) You know, there's only one thing that I can't quite figure out. Why do I need you? (A bright light shoots out of his hands and flies into Man #2. Man #2 disappears in a ball of flames.) I needed to vent.

[Scene: Manor. Prue and Phoebe walk inside. Prue gets the box out of her bag.]

Phoebe: Don't open that. Let me go get Piper first.

Prue: Why?

Phoebe: Oh, gee, Prue, I don't know. Maybe so you don't go running into the street and get hit by a bus too. (Phoebe goes in the kitchen where Piper is making sushi.) Piper, we need... _Wow_. Expecting company?

Piper: Uh, _no_ , I was just making Leo a little something to eat. You know, break up his day.

Phoebe: And something to take up all of yours?

Piper: Well, sushi don't roll itself. Besides, I like taking care of him, and cooking for him, and dressing up for him. I was actually thinking of going out and buying him a whole new wardrobe. You know, de-flannel him a little.

Phoebe: What, you afraid you're going to lose him? Wait, are you?

Piper: Well, I'm certainly not gonna give the Elders any excuse to take him away again, that's for sure.

Phoebe: No, Piper, they wouldn't do that. You guys are married now.

Piper: So? There is nothing in those wedding vows that says they still can't break us apart. Besides, I don't wanna be complacent about my marriage. Neither he nor they are gonna find any fault in me.

Phoebe: Well, they might find fault in us. Prue and I lost an innocent this morning, so we need you. (They walk into the living room. Prue is looking closely at the box.) Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?

Prue: Uh, opening the box.

Phoebe: You're supposed to be waiting for me and Piper.

Prue: Okay, so you're here. I'm gonna open it.

(Phoebe takes it off her.)

Phoebe: What if you unleash some huge abomination?

Prue: Whatever it is, I'm sure that we can handle it.

Piper: But at least I think we should call my husband and ask his opinion first.

Prue: Okay, but we didn't need his opinion before when he was just _Leo_.

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: You called?

Prue: _No._

Phoebe: But as long as you're here. Box. Intercepted from a demon. Open it? Yay or nay?

Leo: Have you checked the Book of Shadows?

Piper: No. But that's a great idea. Leo, you're a genius. What would we do without him?

Prue: Oh, I don't know. I guess our lives wouldn't be the smooth-running, carefree existence that they are today.

Piper: Oh, uh, Phoebe, your ethics professor called about your meeting today at 2:00.

Phoebe: Well, obviously I can't make it now.

Prue: No, no, no, you should go. I mean, you're too close to graduating to mess up now. The three of us can handle the box.

Phoebe: Are you sure?

Prue: Yes, go. Although, you might want to change into, oh, I don't know, _clothes_ , an actual shirt.

(Phoebe looks down at her open vest, showing most of her bra.)

Phoebe: Okay.

Prue: _Okay_. That's very…. Let's go.

(They all go upstairs.)

[Time lapse. Attic. Prue, Piper, and Leo are there. They have the Book of Shadows opened up to a page on "The Seven Deadly Sins".]

Prue: 'Bottled at the source _by_ the Source.' So, what, it's a box of sin?

Piper: Good thing you didn't open it. It would have been Pandora all over again.

Leo: Not quite. But this may be how the myth got started. Only it's a much more specific type of attack. According to this, the box contains seven balls of sin used to corrupt paragons of good.

Piper: If you're a paragon of good, how do you get corrupted?

Leo: Because no one is immune to sin. Whether it be pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, or sloth, whichever one you're predisposed to is the one that attacks you.

Prue: Well, the businessman must have been attacked by greed. That's why he kept on wanting more.

Leo: Only his greed was magnified a thousand times.

Prue: And it explains why my scry worked. I thought the unnatural activity was the demon courier. But it must have been the sin working against the businessman's good nature.

Piper: Okay, so what do we do now?

Leo: Well, the infector appears to be the link. Destroy Lukas and the sins lose their power.

Prue: Do we know anything about these infectors?

Leo: Only that they were humans consumed by sin during life _and_ in death.

Piper: So what we need to do now is find a spell to remove the sin from the infected humans in case Lucas strikes again, right?

Prue: You can't remove sin magically or otherwise. It's a part of all of us.

Piper: Even you?

Prue: Yes, even me. Just a _teeny_ little bit. Nothing that anyone would notice but me.

[Cut to downstairs. Lukas fades in and picks up the box. Phoebe comes down the stairs.]

Phoebe: Okay, you guys, wish me luck! (She sees Lukas.) Hey.

Lukas: It's okay. I really think that you're gonna like... this one.

(A sin ball hits Phoebe. Prue, Piper, and Leo come down the stairs. Three more sin balls hit them. Lukas fades away.)

Phoebe: What was that? What just happened?

Piper: Oh, no, don't tell me we got infected with the sin thingies.

Phoebe: What do you mean? (to Prue) What is she talking about?

Prue: Okay, nobody panic. Does anybody feel different?

Leo: No.

Piper: Me neither.

Phoebe: Uh-uh.

Prue: Alright, so maybe we're immune because we're magical.

Leo: I don't know. I better orb up and ask.

Prue: You do that. Piper and I will go recheck the book, and you missy, you get your butt to that meeting and charm the pants off of your professor. Go. And get home as soon as possible. (Prue pushes Phoebe out the door. Phoebe tries to protest.) No, I'm sure. Go!

[Scene: College. Phoebe's professor's office. Phoebe is sitting in a chair.]

Professor: The problem is, it's an ethics course, it's about the dialectic. So when someone misses as many classes as you have, it's hard to catch up. (Phoebe sighs and rubs her forehead.) Are you okay?

Phoebe: I don't know.

Professor: Plus, you owe me a _major_ paper, and if I don't get it soon….

Phoebe: What are you gonna do to me?

Professor: I'll have to give you an incomplete. I'll have no other choice. Now, do you have anything else to say for yourself?

Phoebe: I'm not wearing any underwear.

Professor: Excuse me?

Phoebe: Yeah, I find it too... constricting.

Professor: Are you making some kind of a joke?

Phoebe: No. I'm serious. _Dead_ serious. (She stands up.) I've been a bad girl. A very bad girl. (She slowly moves closer to him.) And I'll do anything to make it up to you. I'll do anything to pass. Anything.

(She grabs him and they fall over the desk onto the floor.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper is sitting at the table talking on the phone, and flipping through a magazine.]

Piper: Ah, no, that'll be it. Just the two Armani suits, size 42, the Donna Karan dress, the three pairs of Stuart Weitzman shoes, the Wong Gucci jacket, and the Prada bag. What's the total?

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: Alright, we don't have much time….

Piper: Shh! I'm on the phone with Bloomingdales. (on the phone) Oh, okay, um, well, then I'm gonna have to split that onto two credit cards. You can put $5000 on the card that's on file, and the re- (Prue hangs up the phone.) What are you doing?

Prue: Uh, saving your life, or at least your _credit rating_ , which _is_ your life.

Piper: Excuse me. Leo needs _suits_.

Prue: Leo doesn't _wear_ suits!

Piper: _Yet._

(Piper picks up a wine glass and has a sip.)

Prue: A-a-are you drinking in the middle of the day?

Piper: I was a little bummed about the sin thing, so I thought I deserved a little indulgence. Would you like a bit of bubbly?

Prue: No, I would like a little bit of _help_. We are supposed to be tracking down Lukas.

Piper: Sorry. Catch me up.

(Prue sits down.)

Prue: Alright, so it turns out that those sin balls work a lot faster than we thought. Once infected, the victim only has a few hours before it drives them to total self-destruction.

Piper: Well, good thing we weren't infected then, huh?

(Piper picks up a chocolate and takes a bite.)

Prue: Right. But now that Lukas has the box, the question is who will be. I mean, I tried scrying for unnatural activity, but it just kept pointing back to the manor.

(Phoebe runs in and sits down.)

Phoebe: Guess what? My ethics professor kicked me out of class.

Prue: _What_? _Why_? What happened?

Phoebe: I don't know, I don't know. One minute I was telling him why my paper was late, the next thing I knew I was... unzipping his pants with my teeth.

Prue: Oh, _Phoebe_ , you do know that charming the pants off someone is just a figure of speech, don't you?

Phoebe: I don't know what came over me, Prue. I'm just glad that I realized what was happening before I…. Eww!

Prue: Alright, unfortunately, what got into you was lust. As in the _sin of_.

Piper: Wait a minute, now you think we _were_ infected?

Prue: Hello? _Gluttony_ , table for one.

Piper: _Leo!_

Prue: Oh, _no_ , no, no, Leo's not up there. He's in the living room watching TV.

(Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk into the living room to see Leo laying on the couch watching TV.)

Piper: What are you doing?

Leo: Just kicking back.

Piper: Something is wrong with this picture. You need chips. I'll go get some.

(Piper heads for the kitchen.)

Phoebe: Oh, turn on MTV, I wanna see Carson Daily. He is _so_ hot.

(Phoebe sits on the couch beside Leo.)

Prue: Okay, uh, _excuse me_ , sins in a box, demon hunt, _real life_. Can we please focus here? Now, what did they say about Lukas' sneak attack?

Leo: I don't know. I didn't make it up there. I orbed halfway up and I got tired.

Prue: What?

Leo: Hey, after sixty years of constant vigilance, I think I deserve a little down time.

(Piper walks in carrying a bowl of chips.)

Piper: Here you go, honey.

Leo: Oh, thanks, honey. I'm probably gonna be thirsty soon.

Prue: Oh, I'm gonna be _ill_ soon.

(The doorbell rings.)

Piper: I'll get it. (Piper opens the door and a flower delivery guy brings in bunches of flowers.) Oh, how _gorgeous_.

Delivery Guy: Hi. Boy, these are a lot of flowers.

(Phoebe walks in the foyer.)

Phoebe: I'll say. I love a man in a uniform.

Prue: Hey, who sent the flowers?

Piper: I did, for myself.

Prue: Oh, this is just too much.

Phoebe: (to the delivery guy) I bet you're too much.

(She places her hands on his chest.)

Prue: Alright, that's it. That's enough. (She pushes the delivery guy outside.) Nothing to see here, nothing to respond to, get out. You! What are you smiling at, buddy?

(He leaves.)

Phoebe: Why did you do that?

Prue: Because unless you guys want those flowers at your funeral, you had better _get a grip_ , okay? You've been infected. Gluttony, lust, and that in there... (They walk back in the living room. Leo burps.) … is sloth.

Piper: How did I get gluttony? I don't over eat.

Prue: No, but you over _do_. The sins are drawn to our predispositions, and lately, yours has been excess.

Phoebe: What sin did you get hit with?

Prue: Well, I didn't get hit.

Phoebe: Oh, I _saw_ you get hit.

Prue: Well, I must be strong enough to fight it off. I'm not showing any symptoms, am I? And thank goodness, alright. _One of us_ has to keep our wits about us. (She sees the news on the TV.) Hey, turn that up, lazy.

(Leo turns up the TV.)

Reporter: The SWAT team just arrived at Bay City Motor Cars. A further signal that police are taking this seriously. Pastor Roger Tremble threatens to shoot and kill his hostage if his demands are not met.

Anchorwoman: Do you have any idea what exactly the Pastor's demands are?

Reporter: Well, actually, yeah, they're a little bizarre, but he claims he wants... a Jag. Specifically an XK convertible in British racing green.

Piper: That's a new one.

Phoebe: That newscaster's kinda cute.

Prue: Alright, what do you wanna bet that the demon infected the Pastor with envy?

Piper: Prue, out of all the people in San Francisco….

Leo: Still, he does fit the profile. Paragon of good, driven to an act of self-destruction.

Prue: Yeah, especially with a _SWAT team_ outside. Alright, we cannot let this demon steal anymore of our innocents' souls. (Prue drags Phoebe away from the TV.) Piper, are you coming?

Piper: Uh, I was gonna stay here with Leo and hold down the fort.

Phoebe: More like hold down the couch.

Piper: I'll come if you want me to.

Prue: No, it's fine, I'll just do all of it myself if I have to. Come on, Phoebe.

(Prue and Phoebe leave.)

Piper: You think she's mad?

Leo: Probably.

(Leo moves over and Piper sits down beside him. An infomercial comes up on the TV. Leo changes channels.)

Piper: Wait, turn that back. (Leo groans and changes back to the infomercial.) Hand me the phone.

(He hands her the phone and she dials the number on the TV.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Bay City Motor Cars. The SWAT team have surrounded the building. Prue and Phoebe are there talking to Darryl.]

Prue: Look, Darryl, just let me handle this.

Darryl: Look, Prue, it's a highly charged, highly public situation. I can't just ask SWAT to let you handle it. I get enough flak from these guys as it is.

Prue: Alright, would you rather me astral project myself in there?

Darryl: Come on, Prue, you're not being reasonable.

Phoebe: I have something to say. I see that cute officer from this morning.

(She gets all excited.)

Prue: Hey, stay on point, we still have an innocent to save.

Darryl: You're right, we all do, cops included. Look, just let the hostage negotiators handle it, please?

Prue: Fine. What's the plan?

Darryl: The plan is to talk the Pastor down, wait him out.

Prue: Okay.

Darryl: It works in most cases, trust me.

Prue: Okay, well, if he's been infected, it will not work in this case, trust _me_ , alright. The Pastor's only gonna get worse.

Darryl: What would you do to resolve it?

Prue: There's only one thing to do.

(Prue walks towards the building.)

Darryl: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! (to SWAT) Hold your fire! Hold your fire! What the hell is wrong with your sister? (He notices Phoebe is gone.) Phoebe?

[Cut inside the building. The Pastor has a gun up to the salesman's throat. Prue walks in.]

Prue: Pastor Tremble?

(The Pastor turns around and points the gun at Prue.)

Pastor: Who are you?!

Prue: Whoa, okay, hold on, I'm-I'm-I'm here to help, but I cannot do that until you put the gun down.

Pastor: Get outta here!

Prue: I just wanna talk.

Pastor: I just want my Jag. Do you want me to shoot you too? I swear I will.

Prue: Okay, no, no, no, wait. I-I know what's happened to you, okay? You've been infected with sin.

Pastor: I warned you.

Prue: No.

(Prue uses her power but the gun doesn't fly out of his hand. He shoots at Prue.)

[Cut to outside. Everyone crouches down when they hear the gunshot. Screams are heard. Darryl grabs a megaphone and talks into it.]

Darryl: Prue, you alright?! Talk to me, Prue!

(Prue finally comes out with the salesman.)

Prue: Everything's under control, don't worry about a thing. I've got it _all_ under control. Hi, he needs medical attention. The Pastor's inside, I kicked his ass. He needs attention too, he's _knocked out_.

(Everyone applauds and news reporters rush up to Prue.)

Reporter: Hi, can I just ask a few questions?

Prue: The name's Halliwell, Prue Halliwell.

Reporter #2: What made you run in there?

Prue: Well, my job is to protect the innocent.

Reporter: Do you work for the police?

Prue: No, actually, I don't.

(Darryl pulls Prue away.)

Darryl: No, she's a good Samaritan, very good Samaritan. No further questions.

Prue: Why did you do that? I was just getting started.

Darryl: 'Cause you were about to hang yourself. You shouldn't be talking to the press.

Prue: Why not?

Darryl: Because they'll destroy you. What's the matter with you?

Preu: Nothing can destroy me, Darryl.

Darryl: Prue, you're bleeding.

(Prue looks at her arm.)

Prue: Whoa, I am, oh my. That bullet must have grazed me.

Darryl: And you didn't even feel it?

Prue: No, no, you know, the adrenaline, it's no big deal.

Darryl: No big deal? You almost got yourself _killed_. I've never seen you run away from danger before, but I've never seen you run _toward_ it either. What, have you got a death wish or something?

Prue: It does sound kind of self-destructive, doesn't it? Oh, oh, that means I've been infected. That must be why I can't control my powers.

Darryl: Prue, what's going on?

Prue: Darryl, I don't have time to explain. Can you get Pastor Tremble to a safe place? Someplace where he won't hurt himself, like a psychiatric hospital.

Darryl: Yeah, sure, shouldn't be a problem in his case.

Prue: Okay, good, but _nobody can know_ that he's there, okay? Because _if so_ , the demon will find him and kill him.

Darryl: Okay. I don't know how long I can keep it a secret though.

Prue: Well, I don't really need that long. Just long enough for me to find the demon and vanquish him, okay? Okay. Now where is my sister? Phoebe!

[Cut inside a SWAT truck. Phoebe is there making out with the officer from before. She starts undressing him, then pulls out a strip of condoms from her bag.]

Phoebe: It's a good thing I came prepared.

(She rips one off with her teeth. Darryl opens the door.)

Darryl: Officer!

Prue: Phoebe!

Officer: Wait, I can explain.

Darryl: The hell you can. Get outta there!

(Darryl pulls him out of the truck. Prue pulls Phoebe out of the truck. Prue grabs Phoebe's coat.)

Prue: Here. _Put it on_. Are you out of your mind?

Phoebe: Um, yeah, I think so. But if you're gonna go crazy-

Prue: Yeah, well, my sin's not _nearly_ as much fun as yours.

Phoebe: Wait, your _sin_? I thought you didn't get hit.

Prue: Well, that was the _pride_ talking and it almost got me _killed_ already.

Phoebe: Pride? You don't seem all that different.

Prue: Really? Well, back atcha. We need to get home and try and track down this demon, okay?

Phoebe: No, I don't think so. I'm having too much fun. So I'll just see you later.

Prue: If I don't get you home, there won't _be_ a later.

[Cut to Darryl and the officer.]

Darryl: What the hell is the matter with you? Not only in the middle of the day, but in the middle of a _crisis_.

Officer: Look, she attacked me, I swear. I didn't have a choice. Not much of one.

Darryl: That's a pathetic excuse. You're an officer for crying out loud.

Officer: What would you want me to do? Shoot her?

Darryl: You're suspended.

Officer: _What?_

Darryl: Go back to the station, turn in your hardware.

(Darryl walks away.)

Officer: You can't suspend me! It was _her_ fault! _Damn it_!

(Lukas fades in.)

Lukas: You know that anger is one of the seven deadly sins? Your blood pressure's rising, adrenaline's pumping. You wanna hit somebody, don'tcha?

Officer: Who the hell are you?

(Lukas gets out the box and hits the officer with the anger sin ball.)

Lucas: I'm somebody who can help you _channel_ that anger.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Porch. Prue and Phoebe walk up to the door.]

Phoebe: You know, it would not have killed you to drive by the fire station for a little looksy.

Prue: You know what? (She opens the door.) If you and Piper do not get your sins under control-

(They walk inside and all of Piper's purchases fill the foyer and the living room. Piper walks in.)

Piper: Good, you're here. The pashminas have arrived and they are to _die for_. Come see. (A delivery man walks past carrying long metal strip things.) Whoa, hey, hi, almost _decapitated_.

Phoebe: Hello. (They walk into another room filled with stuff. Piper pulls a pashmina out of a box.) Wow, Piper, you really put the glut in gluttony.

Prue: Okay, how did you get this stuff so fast?

Piper: Oh, I just let my fingers do the walking, and the clicking, and the... flipping.

Prue: Flipping, as in the pages of the Book of Shadows? You used _magic_?

Piper: Well, yeah, I couldn't wait six to eight weeks for delivery.

Prue: That is _so_ personal gain.

Piper: No, 'cause we _need_ all of this stuff.

(Phoebe leaves the room.)

Prue: Okay, Piper, this isn't you. You're being consumed by your consumption and it will only lead to your _total_ misuse of magic.

(Piper turns on a water fountain.)

Piper: Soothing, isn't it?

[Cut to the living room. Leo is laying on the couch watching a big screen TV. Phoebe moves over to him.]

Phoebe: Hey, Leo.

Leo: Shh, watching TV.

(She sits down next to him.)

Phoebe: I know something more exciting than television. (She unties her top.) Me.

(She takes the remote and turns off the TV.)

Leo: What the hell are you doing? Come on, give it back.

(He reaches for the remote but falls on Phoebe. Piper walks in.)

Piper: _Phoebe!_

Phoebe: What? Prue won't let me leave the house, so I have to make do with what I have.

(She strokes his chest.)

Piper: Get your slutty hands _off_ of my husband!

(Phoebe stands up.)

Phoebe: Make me.

Piper: _Gladly._

(Piper picks up a statue of a head and gets ready to throw it at Phoebe.)

Leo: Watch the remote!

(Prue runs in.)

Prue: No, no, no. (She takes the statue off of Piper.) Alright, you guys, the last I checked we still had a demon to vanquish and an innocent to save.

Phoebe: I thought you said Morris hid the Pastor someplace safe.

Prue: Yes, he did, but envy is only the sixth sin. Which means there's still an innocent out there infected with anger.

(Prue puts the statue down.)

Piper: What would you like us to do about it?

Prue: Leo, I would like for you to orb up there and ask the Elders what they know, okay?

Leo: I'm too tired.

Prue: Leo, (she hits him on the arm) get up there right now! You're our Whitelighter, that is your job!

Leo: Why? You never listen to me anyway. (He yawns.) I think I'm gonna orb upstairs and take a nap.

(He orbs out. Phoebe picks up a magazine and starts to read it.)

Prue: Fine! Fine, orb, who needs you anyway? (Piper puts on a pair of boxing gloves.) We still have the power of three.

(She looks at Piper and Phoebe.)

[Scene: Police station. The officer walks outside to his car. He puts his bag in the back and shuts the door. Lukas fades in.]

Lukas: Did you find out where they're hiding the Pastor?

Officer: Where'd you come from?

Lukas: Answer my question.

Officer: No one's talking. At least not to me.

Lukas: That's not good enough.

Officer: Look, I don't know who you think you are!

(The officer grabs his chest in pain.)

Lukas: Anger's the worst, isn't it? Especially when the burning rage saps you of all your strength and reason and the relentless screams lock out all hope. Use it against the Halliwells. (He pulls the officer's gun out of his belt.) Make them tell you where the Pastor is. Trust me, anger always feels better when it has a target.

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there. Prue's looking through the Book of Shadows, Piper's got her feet in a foot spa, and Phoebe is lying in a chair.]

Prue: There is nothing-there is nothing in the book. Why did only lame witches precede us?

Piper: Because nobody is as good as you, Prue.

Prue: You know, at least I'm trying, Piper. Instead of getting a foot massage, or sleeping.

Phoebe: I'm not sleeping. I'm just having the best premonitions of my life.

Prue: Of what?

Phoebe: It's a button, off of Officer Cutie's shirt, and let me tell you, if the movie's anything like the previews... _whoa_.

Prue: Alright, is that all that you care about? (Phoebe nods.) Fine. I'll save the innocents, I'll vanquish the demon, and if I feel like it, _maybe_ when I'm done, I'll save you guys.

Phoebe: Oh, don't do us any favours.

Piper: Yeah, Prue, worry about yourself.

(Piper knocks a lamp in the foot spa and gets electrocuted. She falls over the back of the chair.)

Prue: Piper! (She runs over to her.) You alright?

Piper: Oh, _what happened_?

Prue: Uh, you were shocked.

Piper: I feel strange.

Prue: Yes, well, if you had had both feet in the water, you wouldn't feel anything. (Prue helps her up. The doorbell rings.) Who is that?

(Phoebe looks out the window and sees the officer standing on the porch.)

Phoebe: Oh! Oh! It's Officer Cutie from this morning. (She opens the window.) Hey! Hey, up here! I'm gonna come down, okay?

(Phoebe leans out the window and nearly falls out.)

Prue: Phoebe, watch out! (Prue pulls her back in.) Do you see what's happening?!

Phoebe: That was close. (She runs out of the attic.)

Piper: Prue, we just have different priorities than you do. You need a little pick me up. How about I buy you some shoes?

(She heads for the door.)

[Cut to the foyer. Phoebe opens the door.]

Phoebe: I knew you'd come back for me.

(The officer walks in.)

Officer: This isn't a social call.

(He grabs Phoebe.)

Phoebe: Wooo, are we roleplaying? Did you bring your handcuffs?

(He gets out his gun and points it at Phoebe.)

Officer: Where's the Pastor?

Phoebe: I don't know, I swear.

Officer: You're lying! (He pushes her into a box full of stuff.) You're something else, you know that?! (He throws boxes around the room.) I got suspended because of you! You think you can ruin somebody's life and not pay for it?! (He points the gun at her.) You're gonna pay.

Phoebe: N-n-no.

Officer: You're gonna pay right now.

Phoebe: Please, don't shoot.

(Piper walks down the stairs and screams.)

Piper: My stuff! (He points at Piper and she freezes him. He unfreezes and shoots at her. She ducks.) He unfroze! Uh, why are my powers not working?!

Officer: Where's the Pastor?

Piper: I don't know. (Phoebe knocks the officer down and he shoots up in the air. Piper falls down the stairs and knocks over all of the stuff. A large wooden box falls on top of her. Piper tries to climb out from under the box. She looks over at Phoebe and sees her unconscious on the floor.) Phoebe?

(The officer stands up. Prue comes down the stairs. He yells and points the gun at himself. Prue uses her power and some of Piper's stuff is thrown at him. He falls back onto some furniture. She looks at the unconscious Piper and Phoebe. Lukas appears behind Prue and grabs her.)

Lukas: You can't save what's already lost.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe is still unconscious on the floor. Piper crawls over to her and feels her pulse. She crawls over to the stairs.]

Piper: Leo! (She starts to climb the steps.) Aah! (She pulls herself up to the top.) Leo!

[Cut to Piper's room. Leo is asleep on the bed. Piper limps into her room.]

Piper: Leo, please, wake up. Leo. (She falls over and knocks some things off of her dresser.) Ow!

(Leo wakes up.)

Leo: Huh? What? Piper.

(He runs over to her. A bright light leaves him.)

Piper: You glowed.

Leo: Doesn't matter. Where are you hurt?

Piper: No, you've gotta go downstairs and heal Phoebe first and then go find Prue because the demon took her.

(A bright light leaves Piper.)

Leo: You glowed too.

Piper: I did? Did you heal me?

Leo: No, not yet. (He heals her.) It's the sins. We must have gotten rid of them.

Piper: Wait a minute, you said there's no magical way to do that.

Leo: There isn't. But maybe there's a human way. Maybe by being selfless. By you caring more about your sisters and me caring more about you, we overcame it.

Piper: Well, that means Phoebe must have gotten rid of her sin too because she risked her life to save me.

(They run downstairs to Phoebe.)

Leo: She's still breathing.

(Leo heals her.)

Piper: Hi, honey.

Phoebe: Hi. Leo, what are you doing up?

Leo: Fixing you.

Phoebe: Where's Prue?

Piper: Uh, we don't know, but we need to find her. She won't admit it, but she's in big trouble.

[Scene: Lukas' place. Prue is tied up. She is struggling to get free.]

Lukas: You think you can break free, but you can't. See, that's what makes pride the deadliest of all the sins. It makes you think you're invincible. Above it all…

Prue: My powers…

Lukas: Are _useless_ now. _Corrupted_. You have only a small window of opportunity to save your life before it's too late.

Prue: No demon has defeated me. And you won't be the first.

Lukas: You see, but I don't have to defeat you. You're gonna defeat yourself. In mere minutes you'll be so far gone you will self-destruct just like all the rest. However, I am willing to make you a deal.

Prue: I don't make deals with demons.

Lukas: Do you listen to them? Look, we both know that you safeguarded the Pastor, which means that I can't deliver his soul. But this late in the game I am willing to pay for it. Tell me where the Pastor is and I'll remove your sin.

Prue: Go to hell.

Lukas: This _is_ my hell. Every rotten day of it. Listen, I am giving you a chance to save your life, Prue. To end _your_ hell.

Prue: If you remove my sin, you'll still be one soul short.

Lukas: That's true, _but_ once it's expunged, I can use the sin again. You see, it'll just pop right back into my box.

Prue: And let you infect another innocent? I don't think so. Screw you.

(Lukas picks up a staff and taps it on the floor. A large hole in the floor opens up.)

Lucas: Witness the bottomless pit of everlasting torment. Pride goeth before a very long fall, Prue. So what's your decision? Remember, if I lose, you lose.

Prue: _Alright_ , alright, untie me.

Lucas: Tell me where the Pastor is first.

Prue: Oh, untie me first. If I self-destruct, you'll never get his soul.

(Lukas unties her.)

Lucas: Alright, now where is he?

Prue: Ha, you lose, I win, ha!

(Prue jumps in the pit.)

Lukas: _No!_

(Phoebe, Piper, and Leo run in.)

Phoebe: Prue!

Piper: No! Leo, Leo, Leo!

(Leo orbs out into the hole.)

Lucas: Why did she have to have pride? Pride is the one sin you can't beat.

Piper: Beat this.

(Piper freezes him.)

Phoebe: Oh, I see orbs.

(Leo orbs back in with Prue.)

Prue: Let go. I can handle this.

(Prue elbows him in the chest.)

Leo: Ow! I was saving you!

Prue: _Saving me_? I had it under control, I didn't need your help.

Phoebe: _Right._

Piper: Uh-oh. It looks like the only way to get the pride out of Prue is to vanquish him.

(Phoebe picks up the sin box.)

Phoebe: Oh, who ordered the sweet sin balls?

Piper: I think he did.

(Phoebe throws all the sin balls at Lukas. He unfreezes.)

Lukas: What did you….? (He falls into the pit.) No! No!

(The pride sin comes out of Prue and lands in the box.)

Prue: Okay, whoa, what just happened?

Phoebe: I think you just lost your pride. (Two more sin balls float into the box.) And these must be envy and anger. Which must mean the Pastor and cop are okay now.

(Phoebe throws the sin box into the pit. Prue taps the staff on the floor and the pit closes.)

Prue: Okay.

(Piper picks up a crystal.)

Piper: Oh, wait a minute, is this another?

Leo: I don't think so.

Phoebe: Maybe it's the businessman's soul.

Piper: _Oh_ , well, then you should release it, someplace nice.

(She hands it to Leo.)

Leo: I know the perfect place.

(He orbs out.)

Prue: Wow, we sure showed that demon. (Phoebe smirks.) Okay, you guys sure showed that demon.

Piper: _Thank you._

Prue: So I guess I needed you guys a lot more than you needed me.

Phoebe: No, we all needed _each other_. You got me back to the house, you saved the innocents….

Prue: Yeah, but….

Piper: Ugh, stop it, I don't like this new humble Prue. I want my real sister back.

Phoebe: Me too.

Prue: Well, I mean, I did save that cop from killing himself, and I was smart enough to tell Darryl to hide the Pastor away, and um….

Phoebe: She's back.

Piper: Mm-hm.

(Piper and Phoebe walk away. Prue follows.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Orgy is playing. Piper is at the bar. Prue comes up to her and offers her a glass of wine.]

Prue: Here you go.

Piper: Oh, no, no, no. I'm abstaining.

Prue: Piper, it's okay to indulge, just don't _over_ indulge.

Piper: I guess we can thank Lukas for teaching us anything in moderation.

Prue: Hey, there was _nothing_ that Lukas could teach me.

Piper: Oh, really?

Prue: I'm doing it again, aren't I? That whole pride thing. I swear, I'm working on it.

Piper: It's a constant struggle.

Prue: Here's one thing that I'm willing to admit I don't understand. You, Phoebe, and Leo were all able to get rid of your sins with a selfless act. I committed _many_ selfless acts, yet why did I have to wait for Lukas to be vanquished to get rid of my pride?

Piper: Well, Lukas said that pride was the one thing you can't beat. I think what he meant was there's no such thing as a selfless act to pride.

Prue: I threw myself into the pit for the Pastor.

Piper: Yeah, but you did that to win. So any good you did during your prideful state was for the greater glory of Prue.

Prue: Alright, fine, then here's to Leo, for saving me from eternal torment.

(They clink their glasses.)

Piper: Mm-hmm, and to me for not trying to be the perfect couple. If it isn't good enough for them, then screw 'em.

Prue: I'll drink to that.

(They clink their glasses again. Phoebe pushes past some people.)

Phoebe: Excuse me. (She goes over to Prue and Piper.) Hi. I am so excited, and not in any... sexual kind of way. Uh, recent events inspired me to write a paper on sexual politics, claiming that my indiscretion with Professor Kass was an ethical experiment. So I handed the paper in yesterday and... pause for dramatic effect….

Prue: So, did he buy it?

Phoebe: I got a B.

Prue: Yay!

Phoebe: Minus, but I got it fair and square, which means that I will be able to graduate. And no man is going to stand in my way.

Piper: Congratulations.

Prue: I'm very proud of you.

Phoebe: Oh, and coming from you.

Prue: Hey, be nice, I don't even wanna _think_ about sin tonight.

Phoebe: Me neither.

Prue: So this is a pretty interesting band. What's their name?

Piper: Orgy.

(Prue gives Piper a funny look.)


	19. The Demon Who Came in From the Cold

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **The Demon Who Came in From the Cold**

[Scene: P3. Prue, Piper, and Leo are standing around the bar. Phoebe walks up to them.]

Phoebe: I don't think we're gonna be able to pull this off.

Leo: We have to.

Piper: Yeah. We've been in tighter jams than this before.

Phoebe: But we're running out of time. I don't think we're gonna make it.

Prue: Phoebe, we can do this, okay? I mean, if we just get a quick bite to eat at Red's, we can still make the 9:30 Faithless at the Avalon.

Leo: The foreign film? I thought we were gonna go see a thriller.

Prue: No, Leo, I wanna _stop_ thinking about Cole and his demon dodging, not be _reminded_ of it.

Leo: Piper?

Phoebe: Leo, it is three votes for Faithless.

Piper: Well, a-a thriller would be okay.

Prue: Okay, wait a second, the vote's two against two?

Phoebe: That's new.

Piper: Welcome to the power of four.

Prue: I demand a recount. Wait, that never works.

(Piper laughs. Cole comes down the stairs.)

Leo: Something tells me you're not gonna wanna see either movie now.

(Prue goes over to Cole.)

Prue: Hey.

Cole: Hey.

(She hugs him.)

Prue: I was so worried.

Cole: I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't come back until it was safe.

Prue: And it's safe now?

Cole: I think so. For the moment.

(She kisses him and they walk over to Piper, Phoebe, and Leo.)

Phoebe: Hey, welcome back.

Cole: Thanks. Glad to be back.

Piper: Love to chat, but we're late for a movie.

Leo: You wanna go? We could use a tie breaker.

Cole: Actually, I was hoping Prue and I could catch up, alone.

Prue: Works for me.

(They leave.)

Piper: Look at Prue and Cole trying to be a normal couple.

Leo: You know what that means.

Phoebe: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're gonna go see the thriller. As if we don't have enough scary bad guys in our real life. Alright, come on.

[Cut to outside. Prue and Cole are walking down the street.]

Prue: Are you sure it's safe for you here?

Cole: Uh, no. _Yeah_ , it is. I mean, at least I think so.

Prue: Then what's wrong?

Cole: The truth is, I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this.

Prue: Doing what?

Cole: You know, the running, and hiding. Even if I stop, where do I go? And I'm still half human, but I can't go back. On the other hand, there's really no place for me in your world either.

(They stop and face each other.)

Prue: What are you saying?

Cole: I'm just saying it's complicated. But it doesn't have to be, not with magic on our side. I've been thinking, isn't there some kind of a spell or something in the Book of Shadows that can strip my powers?

Prue: Wait, you wanna give up your powers?

Cole: If I don't have them, I can't be tempted to use them. I could just stay good-

(She pulls him closer.)

Prue: You would do that for me?

(They kiss. A homeless person nearby starts yelling.)

Homeless Man: Prepare for the Brotherhood!

(Cole looks at the homeless man.)

Prue: Cole, what is it?

Homeless Man: The Thorn is coming! Stop the Brotherhood! No, Luxirom!

Prue: Do you know him?

Cole: No, but if he doesn't watch what he's saying- (A demon shimmers in behind the homeless man and pulls him into an alley. Prue runs towards the alley.) Prue, don't.

(Prue runs into the alley. The homeless man falls dead on the ground.)

Prue: No! (The demon throws an energy ball at Prue. She dodges it. He moves closer to her and she kicks him in the stomach. He goes at her with a dagger, she grabs his arm, gets the dagger, and stabs him. He is vanquished. Cole comes around the corner.) Where were you? What happened to you?

Cole: You just vanquished my brother.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Cole and Prue walk into the conservatory.]

Prue: You know, Cole, there's plenty working against us. I just thought at least I could count on you being honest with me.

Cole: I am.

Prue: Okay, so you just _forgot_ that you had a brother?

Cole: He's not that kind of brother.

Prue: How many kinds of brothers are there?

Cole: It's complicated.

Prue: You know, I hate that word.

(Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk in.)

Piper: Okay, we were just about to find out who the real killer is and the pager goes off, so this better be a really good emergency.

Prue: Well, _I'm_ the real killer. I just vanquished Cole's brother.

Phoebe: Whoa, this is so much better than the movie.

Cole: I didn't want him to see me.

Prue: And we lost an innocent because of it. Some poor street prophet. He was ranting about the brotherhood.

Leo: The Brotherhood? Of the Thorn?

Cole: Yeah. I was a member, _am_ a member.

Piper: What does that mean? What does he mean?

Leo: You should have told us.

Cole: I've done a lot in the last hundred years. It's gonna take a while to catch you up.

Prue: Okay, so who are they?

Leo: They're an elite gang. They answer directly to the Source. He selects the members himself. Then they take a blood oath, a lifelong pledge of loyalty.

Prue: Oh, _that_ kind of brother.

Cole: All that matters now is that they're surfacing. They must have something big in the works.

Piper: So why kill a crazy old street preacher?

Cole: Because not all of them are crazy, or human. Some of them are magical seers who can pre-see actual events, but they're loud, and, dirty, so people usually ignore them. If you call Inspector Morris, I bet he'll tell you other prophets have been killed too.

Phoebe: For what? Just for talking about your... this _gang_?

Cole: The Brotherhood can't risk anyone figuring out what they're up to.

Prue: Okay, so what _are_ they up to?

Cole: I have no idea. I'm not exactly a member in good standing anymore.

Prue: The Prophet that I was trying to save was talking about Luxirom.

Piper: The Internet provider? What, the demons want their own website now?

Prue: No, there must be more to it than that. Alright, Phoebe, you check the net; Piper, you got the Book of Shadows. Uh….

Cole: Save it. You can't stop the Brotherhood with a little research and your usual basic kick, freeze, and magical move. No offence intended.

Piper: _Some_ taken.

Leo: No, he's right. They're way beyond anything you've dealt with before.

Phoebe: So we can't just _let them go_. There's gotta be a way to find out what they're planning.

Cole: There _is_ one way. For me to go back.

Prue: Cole.

Cole: If you want to know what they're up to, we have no choice.

Prue: Okay, but you'll be _exposing yourself_ to the _Source_. He'll kill you.

Cole: Maybe not. They've probably already surfaced, set up camp in this world. I won't have to go under completely.

Phoebe: It... does kind of make sense, Prue.

(Prue leaves the room.)

[Scene: A building. A demon (Tarkin), and a woman (Klea), are walking towards another demon.]

Klea: We might have a problem.

Tarkin: With one of the Prophets?

Klea: No, all of the ones we've targeted have been taken out, _including_ Trigg's.

Demon: So what's the problem?

Klea: Trigg's _missing_. I haven't been able to find him anywhere, which means someone's onto our plan.

Demon: Impossible, as long as the Prophets are dead. Keep searching for our brother. I have to complete my assimilation. We _must_ move forward.

(Klea shimmers out.)

[Cut back to the manor. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk down the stairs.]

Piper: I'm _worried_ , and not just about Cole, but also Prue. I mean, sending him back under is like sending an alcoholic to a kegger. It's just setting him up to fall.

Leo: I agree.

(They walk into the conservatory.)

Phoebe: Alright, this whole voting together thing would be really, really _cute_ , if it weren't so _annoying_. I mean, maybe your guys' vote should just count as _one_ from now on.

Piper: Bet you wouldn't mind if we were voting _with_ you.

(Phoebe gives Piper an evil stare.)

Leo: I mean, what if we lose him, Phoebe? You don't want that responsibility, do you?

Phoebe: Okay, look, the only votes that count are Prue and Cole's, and Cole has already volunteered.

Piper: Well, then maybe Prue can talk him out of it.

Phoebe: Right, which is why we need another plan. So you guys work on the Book of Shadows together and I will call Morris and see what he knows.

[Cut to the attic. Prue and Cole are there. Prue is getting some ingredients together.]

Cole: Prue, I have to go.

Prue: _Nope_ , you can't.

Cole: Prue.

Prue: Remember that power stripping potion you asked me for, like, an hour ago, and everything was still wonderful? Well, I have an idea, I just need some time.

(Prue stirs some ingredients together using a mortar and pestle.)

Cole: Prue, I have to go. And I'll need my powers while I'm gone.

Prue: Why? What are you gonna do?

Cole: Just blend in. That's it. I won't do anything evil.

Prue: Well, let me make sure you can't.

(She continues to stir the ingredients quickly. Cole stops her and puts the mortar and pestle down.)

Cole: I'll be smart, and careful. I'll check in with you every two hours.

Prue: How? They'll track your shimmer.

Cole: Not if we meet in the mausoleum. That's the second safest place I know.

Prue: What's the safest?

Cole: With you. (Prue sighs.) I thought you'd be proud of me.

Prue: Of _what_? Being suicidal?

Cole: I am coming back. I always have.

Prue: Yeah, how can you be so sure that you're going to come back _this time_? Cole, you've been hiding from them for _months_. And I don't understand. There is a price on your head and now all of a sudden you're willing to expose yourself? For _what_?

Cole: For _good_. You taught me not to walk away and let evil win, to fight the good fight. That's all I wanna do.

Prue: They'll kill you.

Cole: I have a plan, don't worry. This is the right thing to do, Prue. You know that, we both do. Mausoleum, two hours, okay?

(He kisses her hand and shimmers out.)

[Cut to the building. Cole walks down a hall towards Vornac's office. Klea sees Cole.]

Klea: Vornac.

(Vornac and Tarkin turn around.)

Vornac: Well, look who's back.

Tarkin: Kill him?

Vornac: In a minute. (Cole walks into the office.) Belthazor, come in, come in. (A guard shuts the door.) Nice of you to come home to die.

Cole: Actually, I came to help. I overheard the Prophets talking. Afraid they'd spoil your plan.

Tarkin: What makes you think we have one?

Cole: Tarkin, you always have a plan.

Vornac: And after everything you've done, you think you can just... walk back in, pick up where you left off?

Cole: I'm here to do what's right, Vornac. For the Brotherhood.

Vornac: Really? And what can you possibly offer that will save your traitorous head?

(Cole gets a human head out of a bag and drops it on the floor.)

Cole: The Prophets.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Building. Continued from before. Vornac is holding Cole facedown on the table.]

Vornac: You actually expect me to believe _you_ killed the Prophet?

Cole: He was a threat to you.

Vornac: Ahh, a bounty on your head and yet you _still_ think of us.

Cole: The Brotherhood comes first.

Vornac: Words to live _or_ die by.

Tarkin: Trigg was assigned to kill that Prophet. Did you see him?

Cole: No. How is my old friend?

(Vornac lets Cole up.)

Vornac: Your old friend's missing, suspiciously.

Cole: Brothers missing, Prophets talking, and I had no trouble tracking you down. Pretty careless. What does Raynor think of this?

Vornac: _Raynor_ thinks you're a disgrace.

Cole: Why? Because I killed the Triad?

Tarkin: Isn't that enough?

Cole: They were plotting to kill the Source so they could take over, which means they would have killed every other demon in his inner circle, including Raynor.

Tarkin: We never did trust the Triad.

Vornac: Then why didn't he come back and explain himself, hmm? Why run?

Cole: Because I had no proof, that's why. I knew nobody would believe me.

Vornac: Brothers, for a hundred years, and you... _disappeared_... without a word, left us with the rumours, the... _accusations_. Were you thinking about the Brotherhood then? Check his story.

(Klea shimmers away.)

Tarkin: Back to work.

Cole: So, who are we after?

Vornac: Not your concern. Until Klea returns, _he_ goes nowhere.

(Vornac shimmers away.)

Cole: He always was a tight-ass, wasn't he?

Tarkin: Do you blame him?

Cole: No.

Tarkin: It's nice to have you back, Belthazor. I just hope it's for good.

Cole: Yeah, me too.

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Piper, Phoebe, and, Leo are there. Piper looks at her watch.]

Piper: Poor Prue. She must be going out of her mind.

Phoebe: It's only been three hours.

Piper: Three _and a half_. Way past the time he said he would check in with her. Leo, maybe you should orb to the mausoleum and see if she's heard from him.

Phoebe: Well, she said that she would call if she had.

Leo: Besides, I think I should stay here till we figure out what the Brotherhood's plan is.

Piper: Oh, so now you're voting with her.

Phoebe: Um, Luxirom. That's what the Prophet said, right?

(Phoebe shows them an article in the newspaper.)

Leo: 'Merger talks between Luxirom and MetaSatellite faltered over the weekend.'

Piper: Wait a minute, so Cole is risking his life to preserve stock portfolios?

Phoebe: No, it's much bigger than that. According to this, if the merger goes through, the world's information flow will wind up in the hands of one company.

Piper: Well, that sounds evil by itself.

Leo: Except one of the CEOs, Frank Pirelli, is apparently getting cold feet about it.

Phoebe: Yeah, what do you wanna bet the Brotherhood wants this merger to go through so _they_ can take over the company?

Leo: Which means they're gonna have to somehow force Pirelli to vote for it.

Phoebe: Yeah, or kill him. It sure would be _nice_ to be able to compare notes with Cole.

Piper: Well, we _could_ if _someone_ would _orb_ to the _mausoleum_.

[Cut to the mausoleum. Prue's there. Leo orbs in.]

Leo: Prue, anything?

Prue: I'm sure it's… not as easy to break away from there as he thought. He'll show.

Leo: It's okay to be scared.

Prue: No, I'm not scared. Concerned, maybe, a little. We shouldn't have let him go.

Leo: We didn't. He chose to.

Prue: I know, and for _what_? To prove to me that he's good? He doesn't have to prove anything to me. (Cole shimmers in.) Cole. (She runs over and hugs him.) Are you okay? Did they buy your story?

Cole: For now, but I gotta get back. They're suspicious enough as it is.

Prue: Well then, maybe you shouldn't go back.

Cole: I want to, to stop them. Look, I don't have much time. All I know is that they're after someone who's gonna be at Pier and Pescadero at 8am. But I don't know who.

Leo: We might. Frank Pirelli runs Luxirom, but he doesn't want a big merger to happen.

Cole: The Brotherhood does. Makes sense, explains why they've taken over an investment banking firm.

Prue: How does it explain that?

Cole: The best way for evil to get a foothold in the human world is to take over their businesses. Work from the inside out.

Prue: Really? You just learned that, did you?

Cole: No.

Leo: So, we need to safeguard Pirelli till the merger vote at 11, and the Brotherhood loses.

Cole: _Yes_ , but if you intervene, they might think I had something to do with it. You could blow my cover.

Leo: We can't let them kill Pirelli.

Cole: But you can let them kill _me_?

Prue: No, no. Cole, look at me. We're gonna find a way to protect you. You'd better get back.

(He touches her face.)

Cole: Alright. (He takes the bottle of water Prue is holding.) Mind if I borrow this?

(Cole shimmers away.)

[Cut to the building. Cole walks in the office holding the bottle of water.]

Vornac: Where'd you go?

Cole: I got thirsty. Wanna urine sample to prove it?

(He has a drink from the bottle.)

Vornac: Your flippant attitude almost got you killed once before. Remember that.

Cole: I remember. You saved me.

Vornac: _Alright_ , let's review!

(Tarkin turns on a screen. A 3D map of Pier and Pescadero, and the buildings surrounding them, shows up.)

Tarkin: We patrol the perimeter, reroute foot traffic. I'll monitor security. Once the limo's been cut off, Jassa will throw the energy ball. And then-

Vornac: _No_ , wait. Let's give Belthazor the honour. What better way to make sure he's truly back then to have him kill.

Cole: Fine. What's the target?

Vornac: Why? Does it matter? It's time.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Corner of Pier and Pescadero. Tarkin walks up to Cole.]

Tarkin: Nervous?

Cole: Hmm? Me? No. I was just... thinking.

Tarkin: Been a while since you've seen this kind of action, hasn't it? It'll come back to you. It's in our blood.

Cole: Yeah. I know.

Tarkin: Just execute the plan, Belthazor. No confusion, no consequences. It's no more complicated than that, okay?

[Cut to Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walking down the street nearby.]

Piper: Wouldn't it be nice to save the world at a decent hour?

Prue: Okay, well, we have to focus here, because if we don't pull this off just right, Cole is screwed.

Prue: Well, as long as we wait until the last second, Cole _should_ be fine.

Leo: Well, let's just hope that killing Pirelli is all that they want.

Piper: Well, if it wasn't, he would've told you, right? I mean, unless you think he's holding something back.

Prue: You know, this is _amazing_. You can't wait to sell him out as a traitor, can you?

Leo: She was just asking a question, Prue.

Prue: That she should _know_ the answer to. We _all_ should. Cole is risking his life for this. The least we can do is trust him.

[Cut to Vornac and another demon. Vornac looks at his watch.]

Vornac: Go. (The demon gets in his car. Klea shimmers in beside Vornac.) Well?

Klea: I haven't been able to prove Belthazor's story one way or the other.

Vornac: That's alright. We're about to find out if he's telling the truth or not.

(Vornac and Klea walk over to Cole and Tarkin. A black limo drives out of a building car park. The demon drives in front of the limo. The limo driver stops the car, honks his horn, and angrily gets out of the car.)

Limo Driver: I've got it, Mr. Pirelli. (He storms over to the demon's car.) What the hell's the matter with you?! Move your car now!

Vornac: (to Cole) What are you waiting for? Kill. Or _be_ killed.

(Cole moves onto the road. The demon gets out of the car and runs out of the way as the limo driver yells after him.)

(Cole throws an energy ball at the limo. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo come running around the corner and Piper freezes the energy ball in mid-air. They run over to the limo.)

Prue: Alright, Leo, go, go, go, go!

Piper: Go, go, go!

(Leo gets in the limo and orbs out with Pirelli. They head back past Cole.)

Prue: Maybe we should take Cole with us?

Phoebe: No, he has to look innocent after the fact. He's gotta figure out a way to get out on his own. Come on.

(Piper and Phoebe walk away. Prue slips a note in Cole's pocket. She touches his face and then runs off. Piper peeks around the corner of a wall and unfreezes everything. The energy ball hits the limo and it blows up. The driver dives to the ground.)

Vornac: Go get the body.

(Klea shimmers away. Cole walks back over to Vornac.)

Cole: What do you want the body for? There won't be much left.

Vornac: But even a trace could alert the humans to the switch.

Cole: What switch?

(Vornac shapeshifts into Pirelli.)

Vornac/Pirelli: This one.

(Vornac/Pirelli shimmers away and shimmers back in down the street. A car drives out of the car park. Men get out of the car and help Vornac/Pirelli into it. The car drives off.)

Tarkin: Feels great, doesn't it, Belthazor? Welcome home, brother. You've been missed. (Tarkin shakes his hand. Klea shimmers in.) Where's Pirelli's body?

Klea: It wasn't there.

Tarkin: What do you mean it _wasn't there_?

[Cut to the manor. Leo walks in the living room.]

Leo: Pirelli's in the basement. He's fine. Phoebe's sleeping potion worked perfectly.

Phoebe: Me and my potions, they solve everything.

(Prue turns on the TV.)

Leo: Didn't have any problems?

Piper: No. Prue wanted to bring home a souvenir, but otherwise no.

Prue: I wonder if the kidnapping made the morning news.

Phoebe: What do we do now?

Prue: Well, I don't know. That's up to Cole. He's gotta let us know what the demon's next move... (Frank Pirelli shows up on the TV.) … is.

Vornac/Pirelli: (on TV) It's no coincidence that just last night I changed my mind and decided to support this merger. Now someone's tried to kill me. That convinces me I've made the right choice. This merger _will_ happen. Thank you.

Piper: What was that about Cole telling us everything?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue and Piper are sitting on the couch. Phoebe walks in and sits down.]

Prue: If Cole knew about the switch, he would have told us.

Piper: Are you sure? He's back with his brothers now, maybe he's switched too.

Prue: Come on, why all of a sudden are you off his bandwagon? What changed?

Piper: The plan blew up in our faces, that's what's changed.

Prue: And Cole is responsible for that?

Piper: Prue, not knowing the switch is a pretty big detail to miss, don't you think? Aside from the whole he originally tried to kill us thing that's coming to mind right about now.

Phoebe: Okay, but Piper, Cole's done a lot of good since then. We have to give him credit for that.

Prue: Thank you.

(Phoebe smiles.)

Piper: Come on, Prue, you have to admit you're a little worried about him.

Prue: About his getting killed, yes, but not about his _betraying_ us.

(Leo walks in.)

Leo: Pirelli's still out cold in the basement. How are things up here?

Prue: Getting colder by the minute. Okay, uh, we need to work on a plan, alright? And we need to be smart, because Cole is counting on it. So the merger voting is at 11. That gives us two hours to figure out a way to get the demon imposter out of there. Anything we do could point Cole out as their leak. So we have to let him know what we're up to.

Piper: Do we?

Prue: Yeah, he deserves to know that. Just let me tell him to get out of there.

Leo: How are you gonna get him to meet you?

Prue: I slipped him a note at the attack asking him to meet me at the mausoleum. Let me try.

Phoebe: Okay, be careful, and be fast. And if... for _whatever reason_... Cole doesn't meet you there, get back here right away, okay, so we can start working on plan B.

Prue: Okay.

(She stands up.)

Phoebe: Okay, be safe.

(Phoebe leaves.)

Piper: Well, since plan A's going so well, I'd _love_ to hear about plan _B_. Assuming that you have one.

Phoebe: I've got part of it. In the freezer.

(Phoebe heads for the kitchen.)

Piper: In the freezer? (Piper and Leo follow Phoebe to the kitchen.) Wait, we're gonna fight the brotherhood with Ben and Jerry's?

Phoebe: No, with a vanquishing potion made from Belthazor flesh.

(She takes the flesh out of the freezer.)

Piper: Eww, you kept that _this long_?! That's _disgusting_!

Leo: What makes you think that'll work?

Phoebe: Well, you said that they were connected by a blood oath, _their_ blood. (She picks up the flesh with a fork.) So the potion that vanquishes one, should work on the others.

Piper: Hmm, how lucky that we had the key ingredient in our freezer.

Phoebe: Yeah. I guess in the back of my head, I sort of thought that we might need it again someday.

[Scene: Vornac's office. Cole finds Prue's note in his pocket. He quickly reads it. Vornac/Pirelli and Klea shimmer in.]

Vornac/Pirelli: If the real Pirelli shows up here and exposes us, we're _dead_. Do you realize that?

Tarkin: Someone must have removed the body. That's the only thing we could figure.

(Pirelli changes back into Vornac.)

Vornac: That's impossible.

Klea: Not if it was done magically.

Vornac: Belthazor, what do you think?

Cole: Me? I think, uh, well, I think Klea's right. Somebody intervened.

Vornac: Like who?

Cole: How would I know?

Vornac: Guess.

Cole: Witches?

Tarkin: Witches? How could witches be onto us?

Vornac: Any thoughts?

Cole: We might have a leak.

Vornac: Yes, I think we do. A traitor amongst us. Now, (he moves closer to Cole) who do you suppose that could be?

Tarkin: Come on, Vornac, you can't think that Belthazor-

Vornac: _Don't_ tell me what to think.

Cole: Give me a break. I'm not stupid enough to come back home and betray you all in one day.

Klea: That's not stupid, that's smart.

Vornac: She's right. After all, it's so ludicrous. Who would suspect you? You see, the thing that bothers me most about this, Belthazor, are the rumours, the ones that say that while you were a fugitive, you fell in love with a witch. And now here we are, confronted by the very real possibility our entire operation has been compromised _by_ , coincidence of coincidences, _witches_.

Cole: The rumours are true.

Tarkin: _What?_

Cole: I loved a witch. Still do, actually. At least my human half does. But that was a mistake. I realize that now. I'd forgotten who I really was.

Klea: Raynor will demand he die for his treason.

Cole: Or he will forgive me for being able to salvage the operation. I think I can get Pirelli back.

Vornac: How?

Cole: The witch I was involved with, her sister has the power to freeze, and a witch with that kind of power could have taken Pirelli from the limo without us even knowing it.

Vornac: _Another coincidence_! The witch you _bedded_ just happens to be the one who's onto us!

Cole: Let me prove my loyalties. Let me go to the witches, get Pirelli, bring him back. Then you can pass judgement.

Vornac: Are you saving us, brother? Or leading us into a trap? Go. (Cole shimmers away.) If he's telling the truth, help him. If he's not, kill him.

(Klea shimmers away.)

[Cut to the mausoleum. Prue is waiting there. Cole shimmers in.]

Prue: Cole! Oh my god, I've been so-!

Cole: No, don't. It's too dangerous.

Prue: What do you mean? What's the matter?

Cole: Just trust me. Where's Pirelli?

(Klea appears nearby, but only her eyes are visible.)

Prue: At the manor, in the basement.

Cole: So you do have him?

Prue: Yeah, of course.

Cole: What's your plan?

Prue: Our plan is to vanquish the demon that took his place, before the merger vote.

Cole: No, you can't. That will be a huge mistake.

Prue: Why? Cole, you're scaring me.

Cole: You should be scared. You have no idea who you're up against.

Prue: Oh, don't I? Cole, what's happening to you? What aren't you telling me?

Cole: I'm telling you to stay out of this, alright? Don't do anything. Just go back home, wait to hear from me. I mean it.

(He shimmers away. Klea shimmers away.)

[Scene: Manor. Prue walks into the living room.]

Phoebe: Hey, how did it go?

Prue: I'm not sure, actually.

Piper: What does that mean?

Prue: I don't know, it was strange. _He_ was strange. Almost... mean. But he doesn't want us to go after the demon, he wants us to wait here.

Phoebe: What? Why?

Prue: He didn't say. It doesn't make sense, the whole thing doesn't make sense. I think he's in trouble. Either that or….

Piper: Or he's turned.

Prue: No, I don't believe that. There's gotta be a good reason why Cole's doing what he's doing.

(Three men shimmer in and one throws an energy ball at the girls. Prue deflects it back with her power and one of the men goes up in flames. He disappears. The two remaining men go for the girls. Phoebe kicks one, and Prue uses her power on the other and he crashes into the piano. They get up and Piper freezes them.)

Piper: W-Whoa, whoa!

Prue: How do they know where we live?!

Piper: How do you _think_?!

Phoebe: Leo!

(Leo runs in with two bottles of potion. He gives them to Piper and Phoebe.)

Prue: What is that?

Piper: Demon be-gone.

(Piper and Phoebe throw the potions at the demons and vanquishes them.)

Leo: You were right, the potion worked.

Prue: What potion?

Phoebe: Okay, that was way too easy. Oh my god. Pirelli, Pirelli!

(They run down into the basement. Cole and Tarkin have a hold of Pirelli.)

Prue: Cole!

(Cole and Tarkin shimmer out with Pirelli.)

Piper: What do you think now?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Prue is there staring out the window. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo walk in.]

Phoebe: Alright, Prue, we need to get going. The merger vote's in less than thirty minutes.

Prue: Why didn't you tell me you kept some of the potion to kill Cole with?

Piper: Well, it's a good thing she did. It came in pretty handy.

Phoebe: Look, Prue, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but the truth is until _recently_ I didn't really trust Cole. I mean, I sort of felt like I had to protect us, just in case.

Prue: Just in case what? He tried to kill us?

Piper: It wouldn't be the first time. (Prue looks away.) Well, it wouldn't. Look, I know you love him, and we all know that he loves you, but sending demons to _kidnap_ our innocent kind of speaks for itself.

Leo: You were right. We never should have let him go under.

Prue: I still think this is all part of some plan of his. It has to be.

Phoebe: Okay, but right now we need to stick to _our_ plan, which is to vanquish the demon imposter.

Prue: Cole said not to, he said it was a _huge_ mistake, and I believe him.

Piper: Okay, but we don't.

Leo: Alright. Come on, you guys, we really have to get going.

Phoebe: The vote's three to one, Prue. You coming?

[Cut to the Brotherhood building.]

Vornac: You cost me three of my best demons! What the hell went wrong?!

Tarkin: The witches were more prepared than we thought.

Vornac: _Another_ coincidence.

Cole: I _didn't_ tip them.

Vornac: _Did he?_

Klea: He told the witch to go home. Unless it was some sort of code.

Cole: It _wasn't_. Look, the plan was to get Pirelli. I did that.

Vornac: Then where is he?

Cole: Somewhere you can't get him. Not until I'm sure you won't kill me.

Vornac: And how do I know you really have him?

Tarkin: I was there. He has him.

Vornac: And do I trust _you_ anymore? It's time. I have to get back. But after the vote, you'd better deliver Pirelli, or I will kill you.

(Vornac starts to shimmer out but Cole stops him.)

Cole: No, don't.

Vornac: Don't what?

Cole: Don't go. I know these witches, Vornac. Now that I've kidnapped Pirelli, they'll do anything they can to stop us. They'll try to vanquish you, and they have the potion to do it too.

Vornac: But will they vanquish you?

[Cut to an empty office. The door flies open and Prue, Piper, and Phoebe walk in.]

Piper: The vote's in, demon guy, you lose.

(A chair swings around and Cole's sitting in it.)

Prue: Piper, wait. Cole.

Cole: Surprised.

Prue: What are you doing here? Where's the demon?

Cole: He sent me instead. It might be a test. I think he's onto us.

Phoebe: On to... us? You make it sound like we're working together.

Cole: Aren't we?

Piper: Hmm, who you kidding? We should vanquish you on the spot. Where's Pirelli?

Cole: He's safe.

(He stands up.)

Prue: Cole, where is he?

Cole: Where else would he be?

Prue: The safest place you know. The mausoleum.

Cole: Isn't that what we agreed to?

Prue: No, unfortunately, it isn't.

(Prue throws the potion at Cole.)

Phoebe: Prue!

(Cole starts yelling. He changes into Vornac. Vornac is vanquished.)

Piper: But, how did you know? _Did_ you know?

Prue: The safest place that Cole knows is with me. He said so.

(Cole shimmers in. They spin around ready to throw the potion.)

Cole: Easy, easy. I know I'm not very popular right now, but let the condemned man have his last words. I had no choice but to play it this way. They were so suspicious of me I had to make everyone, especially you, believe that I was evil, or I was dead.

Piper: Some of us still think you're evil.

Prue: Alright, so why did that demon impersonate you?

Cole: He didn't trust me. Wanted to find out whose side I was really on. I knew you wouldn't fall for it.

Piper: What about Pirelli?

Cole: I had to make you think I'd actually betrayed you, to give you motivation to kill Vornac, and me. Forgive me.

Prue: I never doubted you. (She goes over to him.) Well, maybe just a little.

(They kiss. Klea's eyes are watching nearby. They then disappear.)

Cole: You'd better get Leo to the mausoleum, get Pirelli back here before the merger.

Piper: Can't you get Pirelli?

Cole: No, I have to get back.

Prue: You can't go back now.

Cole: Just to cover my tracks. I don't want those guys hunting me down. (He kisses Prue.) I'll be out by tonight, I promise.

(He shimmers out.)

[Cut to Cole and Tarkin.]

Tarkin: You _saw_ the witches kill Vornac?

Cole: No, I saw what was left. So I went to kill Pirelli but he was gone. I can only assume the witches found him.

Tarkin: This is a disaster. What are we gonna tell Raynor? He wants a full accounting, you know.

Cole: Tell him I warned Vornac not to go, but he didn't listen. And now I have to go.

Tarkin: _Go_? Where?

Cole: I still have to find proof for the Source to clear my name. I can't very well do that here, can I? See you soon, my brother.

Tarkin: You can't go. Raynor wants a full accounting, from you.

Cole: You can fill him in. You know just as much as I do.

(Cole walks away. Klea and Raynor appear. Raynor throws an energy ball at Cole and he is knocked unconscious.)

Tarkin: You were right, Raynor.

Raynor: Belthazor has much to explain. And much to answer for.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Phoebe's graduation party. Prue looks worried. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo are watching her nearby.]

Piper: Why can't we ever throw a party, or have a wedding, or just live our lives without evil screwing it up?

Phoebe: She'll be fine as soon as Cole shows up.

Piper: What if he doesn't?

Leo: What if he can't?

(They walk over to Prue.)

Phoebe: Hey. Look, whatever happens, he did the right thing. I mean, he helped get Pirelli back in time to cancel the merger, he helped us stop the Brotherhood.

Piper: He proved he was good.

Prue: Yeah, but at what cost?

Phoebe: You can't really think of it like that.

Prue: _Why not_? Shouldn't I get to protect _one_ part of my life and say, 'This, magic doesn't screw with, this I get to keep.'

Phoebe: Yes, you should.

Prue: Last night, Cole was back, and he wanted to strip his powers, and you were graduating. Yesterday, everything was perfect, and today, it's all fallen apart. Where is he? What happened to him?


	20. Exit Strategy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Exit Strategy**

[Scene: Mausoleum. Phoebe walks in.]

Phoebe: Prue?! Prue, you in here? (She sees Prue asleep next to a crypt.) Hey, sweetie, wake up.

(Prue wakes up.)

Prue: Cole?

Phoebe: No, it's just me. Come on, let's go home.

Prue: No, I have to wait here for Cole.

Phoebe: Prue, you can't just wait here, alright. He will know where to find you. Come on.

(They stand up.)

Prue: I don't understand. He was supposed to go back under so that they wouldn't be suspicious of him, but it's been over a week.

Phoebe: He probably just hasn't found a safe way out yet, that's all.

Prue: But what if he can't? What if the Brotherhood found him out?

Phoebe: Look, even if they did, he would put some sort of a spin on it, you know, get out of it. Come on, you know Cole. He knows what he's doing. You don't make demon of the century without having a few tricks up your sleeve.

Prue: I just hope he's okay, Phoebe.

(They walk out of the mausoleum.)

[Scene: A cave in the underworld. Cole is lying on a large rock. Raynor and Tarkin are standing beside him. Raynor has his hand held out above Cole's head, reading his thoughts.]

Raynor: Seems our brother's suspicions were well founded.

Tarkin: Why? What do you see?

Raynor: Sickness. The kind that only comes from being in the world of light too long. It's contaminated him.

Tarkin: How's that possible, Raynor? A demon as great as Belthazor-

Raynor: It's not his demon half that's been infected, it's his human half. He's in love.

Tarkin: The _witch_.

Raynor: Not just any witch, one of the Charmed Ones. But she's not only loved him, she's turned him against us, sent him here to destroy us.

Tarkin: Well, then we must destroy him.

Raynor: You still have so much to learn, Tarkin. You don't just kill a demon like Belthazor.

Tarkin: But he _betrayed us_.

Raynor: And in so doing, he's acquired the knowledge of how to kill the Charmed Ones. Something no other demon's been able to accomplish. That, with his power, makes him a very precious commodity for us, one worthy of saving.

Tarkin: But how can we-?

Raynor: How can we save him? Simple. We remove the only thing that's re-awakened his human half. His only foothold to good. The witch's love for him.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper is sitting at the table. She pours dozens of books and papers from a box onto the table and starts looking through them.]

Piper: Okay.

(Leo walks in holding a French/English dictionary.)

Leo: Oú est l' tour Eiffel? That is 'Where is the Eiffel Tower?'

Piper: In my dreams if we don't get you a passport.

Leo: Honey, we don't need a passport to honeymoon in Paris. With a blink of an orb, we can be sipping champagne at the Champs Sel Seasay.

(Piper giggles.)

Piper: Yes, as romantic as you make that sound, I would rather fly Air France than Air Leo. Just like every other normal newlywed.

Leo: Well, great, except that we're not.

Piper: Well, a passport for you could change all that, if I could just find... voila. Birth certificate.

(She holds it up.)

Leo: Where did you get that?

Piper: From Dan's old file, the one that he put together when he was suspicious of you. You remember him, don't ya?

Leo: Let's see, perfect hair, cleft chin, tried to steal you away from me? Vaguely, vaguely. (Leo snatches the birth certificate off of Piper.) This isn't gonna work. I was born in 1924.

Piper: No, you weren't. (She snatches it back.) Okay, off-white background, black ink…. Little trick I learned in high school.

Leo: You're gonna forge my birth certificate?

Piper: _No_. Just going to change one little number. (She white outs the number.) So, 1924 becomes 1974. And just like that, you are fifty years younger. (She writes in the seven.) Wait a minute, that makes you 27. That's younger than me. Maybe I should change another number.

Leo: Piper, this is completely illegal.

Piper: Yeah? Well, so is marrying a dead guy, okay. (She holds up his death certificate.) Let's not get technical now.

(Phoebe walks in.)

Phoebe: Morning. What's up?

Leo: Uh, probably three to five years in jail if we're lucky.

(Phoebe gives a confused look.)

Piper: Never mind. Where were you?

Phoebe: Looking for Prue. Three guesses where she was.

Piper: Hmm, the mausoleum?

Phoebe: Yeah, it's become like her second home.

Leo: Still no word from Cole?

Phoebe: No, and you know what? You would think he could take three lousy seconds just to shimmer and let _all of us_ know that he's okay.

Leo: Maybe he can't, maybe he's afraid he'll get caught.

Piper: Maybe he already has.

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Raynor and Tarkin walk over to Cole.]

Raynor: Just follow my lead.

(Raynor wakes up Cole.)

Cole: Raynor.

(He sits up.)

Raynor: Good to see you're still with us, Belthazor.

Cole: What happened?

Raynor: I tried to kill you. Accidentally, of course. I didn't recognize you in your human form. My mistake.

Tarkin: Not many are strong enough to survive an energy ball, Belthazor. You're lucky.

Raynor: Forgive me.

(Raynor holds out his hand. Cole hesitates for a moment, then shakes it.)

Cole: How could I not? After all, you taught me everything I know.

Raynor: Well, not everything.

Cole: How long was I out?

Raynor: Long enough for us to investigate reports that you'd crossed over to the other side.

(Cole walks over to some water.)

Cole: Rumours, not reports.

Tarkin: Don't worry, we don't blame you for the failed hit last week. Even if you were seduced by one of the witches that thwarted our plan.

(Cole wipes some water on his neck.)

Cole: I already explained to you that I was over her.

Tarkin: Yeah, but you didn't explain that she was one of the Charmed Ones.

Raynor: It doesn't matter that you strayed, Belthazor, so long as you've come back. To that end, I have an assignment for you. Something that only your powers can achieve. I need you to get me a magical amulet, one that's hanging from the neck of a witch. Problem?

Cole: Just that it's a little bit risky, don't you think? Sending me after a witch with the Charmed Ones on my trail?

Raynor: Tarkin will provide backup. That way if they show up, you can catch them by surprise. That should take care of all our problems now, shouldn't it?

Cole: Where do I get the amulet? (Raynor waves his hand in front of Cole's face.) This shouldn't take long.

(Cole shimmers away.)

Tarkin: Think he'll actually get the amulet?

Raynor: Yes, but not before he tells his beloved witch what he's about to do. Then that should plant the first seed of suspicion in her heart.

[Scene: Manor. Prue's room. Prue is sitting in front of the mirror putting on makeup. Cole shimmers in behind her. She sees his reflection in the mirror.]

Prue: Promise me when I turn around you'll still be there.

(She quickly turns around. She walks over to him and they kiss passionately.)

Prue: I thought….

Cole: I know. I missed you so much.

Prue: I missed you too. Hi.

Cole: They've given me an assignment. One that if I turn down….

Prue: What do you mean an assignment? What kind of assignment?

Cole: I can't tell you.

Prue: Wh-?

(Cole sits down on the bed.)

Cole: They've asked me to steal an amulet from a witch.

Prue: A _witch_?

Cole: Don't worry, I won't... hurt her.

Prue: Oh, well, that's... good news, Cole. You can't do this!

Cole: You think I want to, damn it?! (He gets back up and walks across the room.) Prue, I just have to buy some time so I can figure a way out. In the meantime, I have to at least pretend like I'm evil.

Prue: No, but don't you see? If you turn into Belthazor, then you will be evil.

Cole: What makes you think I'll have to?

Prue: Well, because an amulet protects. It takes someone of great strength to overcome that. Why do you think they chose you?

Cole: To set me up perhaps. (He sits back on the bed.) Raynor may be on to me.

Prue: Who's Raynor?

Cole: He's the head of the Brotherhood. And my old mentor. He has the power to read thoughts, and if he's read mine….

(Prue kneels beside him.)

Prue: Phoebe and I will come with you, and watch your back.

Cole: No, no, no, you can't. That could be exactly what Raynor's expecting you to do. He could be setting up to get to you. I have to do this alone.

Prue: Cole-

(He pulls her up on the bed and puts his arms around her.)

Cole: Trust me, okay? I know what I am doing. Just concentrate on finishing the potion. If it works, Belthazor will disappear, and Raynor won't be able to track me. Then, (they kiss) we can be together.

(They kiss again and Cole shimmers out in the middle. Prue sighs.)

[Cut to the stairs. Prue runs down them.]

Prue: Phoebe?! Phoebe?!

(Phoebe runs in.)

Phoebe: Hey, what's wrong?

Prue: Cole's in trouble. I need your help.

Phoebe: Uh, okay, anything.

Prue: We need to scry for a witch, fast.

Phoebe: Alright.

(They run up the stairs.)

[Cut to a Wicca shop. A witch is there. Cole shimmers in.]

Witch: Who are you? How did you get in here?

Cole: Just do exactly as I say and I won't hurt you. Just take off the amulet and put it down.

Witch: I've been sworn to protect it.

Cole: And I've been ordered to steal it. (She backs away.) Don't fight me. I beg you.

(He reaches out for the amulet. A blue light shoots out of it and he is thrown back into boxes. He gets back up.)

Witch: You can't take it from me.

Cole: Maybe I can't.

(He changes into Belthazor.)

Belthazor: But I can. (He walks over to the witch. A bright blue light shields the witch. He reaches through the shield and takes the amulet from around her neck. The shield disappears. He grabs her around the neck, then realizes what he's doing and lets go.) Tell no one about the amulet. Not even your Whitelighter.

(He shimmers out.)

[Scene: Passport Agency. Piper and Leo are waiting in line. Leo is filling out a form.]

Leo: Whitelighter. Is that my occupation, or should I just put guardian angel?

(An elderly lady waiting in the line in front of them turns around.)

Piper: Hi, how you doing? (She turns back around.) (to Leo) What's the matter with you?

Leo: We shouldn't be here, Piper, this is wrong.

Piper: Wanting a normal life is not _wrong_ , okay? In fact, it couldn't be anymore _right_. For crying out loud, stop being so _good_ all the time. (The lady gives her a look.) Newlyweds, first fight. Eyes front.

(The lady turns back to the front.)

Leo: Piper….

Piper: Leo, look, I love you, but I'm getting a migraine here, okay? Just, look, we're not _hurting anyone_ , we're not breaking any commandments, okay? We just changed a lousy two to a lousy seven. So let it go before I _blow_. (The line moves.) Okay, we're almost there.

(The Elders call Leo.)

Leo: Uh-oh.

Piper: What? Oh no. No-no-no-no-no, no. You cannot leave right now, okay. Pretend you're, pretend you're out.

Leo: I can't do that.

Piper: Yes, you can. Come on.

Leo: I've gotta go.

Piper: Leo, you can't go right now, okay. We've been in this line for two and a half _freakin' hours_! (She points at the clock and it blows up. Everyone in the line ducks. Piper looks around.) Uh-oh.

[Cut to the Wicca shop. Raynor shimmers in. He looks around and sees the witch hiding in a corner.]

Witch: Who are you? If you've come for the amulet, it's gone.

Raynor: And yet you're still here. Living proof that Belthazor has indeed gone soft.

Witch: Belthazor?

Raynor: The demon who'll be blamed for your death.

(He throws an energy ball at her. She screams and disappears.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Wicca Shop. Prue and Phoebe walk in. They look around.]

Phoebe: Anything?

Prue: No.

Phoebe: Do you think maybe we scryed for the wrong witch?

Prue: I don't think so.

(Prue sees burnt curtains and black marks on the wall.)

Phoebe: Scorch marks. Oh my god, do you think she's dead?

Prue: Unfortunately, I don't know what else to think. That doesn't make any sense. Cole said she wouldn't get hurt.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, somebody sure fired an energy ball in here.

Prue: Somebody like... Cole, you mean?

Phoebe: Prue, I'm not saying that it was Cole, okay? All that I'm telling you is what I see, what we _both_ see. For what it's worth, I don't think it was Cole.

Prue: Thank you.

Phoebe: Alright, but if he didn't do it, who did?

Prue: Well, Cole said that he thought he was being set up by his mentor. So maybe he is, maybe they're trying to frame him.

Phoebe: Why?

Prue: I don't know, but if it's true, that means that his cover's blown and we gotta get him outta there.

Phoebe: Yeah.

(Leo orbs in.)

Prue: Leo.

Phoebe: What are you doing here?

Leo: Looking for you. The Elders called me because a powerful amulet has been stolen.

Prue: Yeah, we know.

Leo: You do?

Prue: Yes, and the witch that _had_ it has been killed.

Leo: It's supposed to protect her. That's why they gave it to her. Only the most evil of demons could have had the power to take it away.

Phoebe: Why would a demon want that amulet so bad?

Leo: Because it's one half of an ancient charm. Whoever connects the two amulets together more than _doubles_ the protection power. With it, they become invincible.

Prue: Oh, _that_ certainly explains why the Brotherhood wanted Cole to get it.

Leo: _Cole?_

Prue: Forget it. Who's got the other half?

Leo: Another witch. The amulets were divided between two local covens for safekeeping, but the bearers have always been kept secret, guarded even from them.

Phoebe: Well, obviously that's why the Brotherhood wants them both.

Leo: Only to destroy them so good can never use them. The amulet won't protect anyone evil.

Prue: Alright, we need to find that other witch before they do. Will you go with Piper so that I can work on Cole's potion?

Phoebe: Yeah. Speaking of, where is Piper?

Leo: Uh, she's at the manor recovering from a little, uh, problem we had at the passport office.

Prue: What problem?

Leo: Uh, well, she sorta... blew some of it up.

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Cole and Tarkin are waiting there. Cole is holding the amulet.]

Tarkin: Nervous?

Cole: Impatient. Something you're not telling me, brother?

Tarkin: Actually, I was about to ask you the same question, _brother_.

(Raynor shimmers in.)

Raynor: Sorry to keep you waiting. I had business to attend to. (He walks over to Cole.) The amulet? (Cole hands him the amulet.) Must feel good to be back in the game. Was it a beautiful death?

Cole: What do you mean?

Raynor: The witch. How did you kill her?

Cole: I didn't. I'd never risk alerting the Charmed Ones just for the thrill of offing a low-level witch.

Raynor: Too bad I would and did. Don't make me clean up after you again.

Cole: You shouldn't have killed her, Raynor.

Raynor: You're right. You should have.

Cole: You told me to just get the amulet. You didn't say kill the witch.

Raynor: Some things go without saying.

Tarkin: You want me to get the second amulet?

Raynor: No. I want Belthazor to.

Cole: Let Tarkin. My strength isn't back yet. I could barely fight through the magic to get to the first amulet.

Raynor: You can do it. I know you. You're the great Belthazor. You can do anything you want. You seem to have forgotten that. Find the witch. (He waves his hand in front of Cole's face.) But this time, show no mercy.

(Cole shimmers away.)

Tarkin: You think he'll do it?

Raynor: You keep putting the bottle in front of him, sooner or later he's gonna take a drink.

Tarkin: What if he doesn't?

Raynor: Don't worry. (A bright glowing ball appears in Raynor's hand.) I have insurance.

[Cut to the manor. Prue, Phoebe, and Leo walk inside.]

Prue: Alright, I'll start scrying.

Leo: I don't think it'll work. The amulet wards off magic, _all_ magic.

Phoebe: That must be why we didn't find the first witch in time. We didn't get a read on her until after the amulet was stolen.

Prue: Okay, but what happens if we don't find her before-?

(They hear a loud noise coming from the kitchen.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Piper is there covered in pieces of watermelon. Prue, Phoebe, and Leo walk in.]

Phoebe: Piper?

Prue: Uh, okay, was it a demon?

Piper: No, it was _watermelon_!

Phoebe: Honey, why did you vanquish watermelon?

Piper: I didn't vanquish watermelon. I threw it up in the air, and I tried to freeze it, and it exploded.

(She throws her hands up in the air and a potted plant explodes. She panics and the glass on the cupboards smash.)

Leo: This is the little problem I was telling you about.

Phoebe: Okay, Piper, _slowly_ put your hands down and no one will get hurt.

(Piper puts her hands down.)

Piper: _Honey!_

Leo: Sweetie, it's gonna be okay, we're gonna figure it out.

(Leo walks over to her.)

Piper: No, no, no! Don't come near me. I don't want anybody to get hurt.

Prue: Okay, put these on. (Prue puts oven mitts on Piper's hands.) Maybe this will help. Put these on and then…. Okay, now try the teapot. Try the teapot. (Piper blows up the teapot.) _Whoa_! (Prue quickly pushes her hands down.) Okay, that wasn't that bad.

Phoebe: Alright, just relax, okay, just calm down because I think your emotions are making this worse.

Leo: I'm gonna go check with the Elders and see if they know what happened to your powers.

Piper: _Hurry!_

Prue: Hey, and ask them how we're supposed to... (Leo orbs out.) find the second witch.

(Cole shimmers in.)

Cole: I know where to find her.

Prue: Cole.

Cole: I didn't kill her, Prue. I swear.

(She goes over to him.)

Prue: It's okay. I know. We believe you. You don't look so good. Are you okay?

(She touches his face and he pulls her hand away.)

Cole: I'm not sure.

Prue: Come on.

(Cole and Prue walk into another room.)

Cole: What about the potion? How close are you?

Prue: Uh, we're just missing one ingredient, billing's root, whatever that is. But as soon as I find it, then I can finish it.

Cole: We don't have much time. I'm kinda hanging on by my fingertips as it is.

Prue: Well, you have to hold on a little longer.

Cole: Ay-ya-yay.

Prue: You can do it, Cole. I know you.

Cole: Raynor says he knows me too.

Prue: Cole, look at me. Look at me. (He looks at her.) You have to keep fighting it. You have to keep fighting him. You cannot let him win.

Cole: But me fighting is how he _does_ win. Raynor's just waiting for me to slip so he can drag me back into the fold. I know that's what he's doing.

(She moves closer to him and touches his face.)

Prue: He can't have you. I won't let him.

Cole: Then save me, Prue. I've been ordered to kill the next witch. You have to get there first and stop me. Otherwise Raynor _will_ win.

[Scene: Park. Seven witches are sitting in a circle around a small fire.]

Witch: The birth and rebirth of all nature. The passing of winter and spring. We share in the life universal. Rejoice in the magical ring. I'll see you all next week. Blessed be.

All: Blessed be.

(They all stand up. Cole looks on from the bushes nearby. Tarkin shimmers in beside him.)

Cole: What are you doing here?

Tarkin: Just watching your back.

Cole: Yeah, well, watching it's one thing, stabbing it's another.

Tarkin: What's the matter? Don't you trust me?

Cole: I don't trust anyone.

Tarkin: Never did. It's part of what made you so great. No allegiances, no conscience, no hesitation. (All the witches leave, except one.) You know what Raynor wants. Just give it to him. You'll feel better after you kill the witch.

(The witch kneels down and starts to pack up her stuff. She hears a noise.)

Witch: Who's there? (Cole comes out and changes into Belthazor. The witch stands up and holds out the amulet.) You can't hurt me.

(Belthazor walks towards the witch and the protective shield from the amulet surrounds her. Belthazor reaches through the shield. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe arrive.)

Prue: Cole, don't! Piper, freeze him!

Piper: I might blow him up.

(Prue uses her power on Belthazor. Phoebe runs over to the witch.)

Phoebe: It's okay, we're witches too. (Tarkin gets ready to throw an energy bolt.) Piper!

(Piper blows up a tree and Tarkin falls.)

Prue: Okay, that was good, that was…. That-that-that was fine.

Tarkin: Kill them.

Phoebe: No.

(Belthazor throws an energy bolt at the witch. The amulet protects them and they are thrown into the bushes. Prue uses her power on Belthazor and he flies against a rock. Tarkin gets ready to throw an energy ball and Prue uses her power on him. They stand up. Belthazor looks at Prue and then he and Tarkin shimmer away.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and the witch walk in the living room.]

Piper: Leo!

Prue: Uh, he's our Whitelighter.

Phoebe: And our brother-in-law.

Piper: I don't know what is up with me. Every time I try to freeze, I flame.

Prue: Uh, Leo!

Phoebe: (holding her wounded arm) I'm fine, really. It's no big deal.

Piper: Phoebe, it's a huge deal. Cole tried to kill you.

Prue: He's the demon.

(The witch nods.)

Piper: And her boyfriend.

Phoebe: We have very complicated lives.

Witch: I'm just... thrilled to meet you. I mean, I've heard of the Charmed Ones, of course, but I just thought…. I'd never dream I'd….

Prue: Nearly die with us? Yes, well, welcome to our lives.

Witch: You saved me, and the amulet. That's enough. (to Phoebe) May I? (She looks at Phoebe's arm.) Well, the wound isn't deep. A salve would cleanse it _and_ ease the pain. Would you allow me entrance to your herb cupboard?

Prue: Kitchen, she means kitchen.

Piper: Hmm? Oh, right, sure, follow me.

(Piper points.)

Phoebe: Oh, hands down, hands down!

(Piper and the witch go into the kitchen.)

Prue: Come on, sit down, take it easy. (Prue and Phoebe sit on the couch.)

Phoebe: I'm fine, Prue. Really.

Prue: Cole did not try to kill you. He knew that the amulet would protect you. He could've fired at me or Piper, but he didn't. With the other demon there, he made the only choice he could.

Phoebe: And you really believe that, right?

Prue: Yeah, I know it. I saw his eyes. They were filled with pain, not evil. Phoebe, we've gotta get him outta there before it's too late.

Phoebe: Alright, then we better figure out a way to finish that power stripping potion fast. Come on.

(Prue and Phoebe walk into the kitchen. The witch is mixing ingredients in a bowl.)

Piper: Check her out. Whipping it up like it's Toll House Cookies. Maybe after she fixes Phoebe, she could fix me.

Prue: Piper, you don't need fixing.

Piper: Uh, if it's taking the Elders this long to tell Leo what's wrong with me, then I definitely need fixing.

Witch: (to Phoebe) This will feel a little warm.

(She spreads a paste on Phoebe's wound.)

Phoebe: That... is... amazing. It doesn't hurt at all.

Prue: Hey, how are you at making potions?

Witch: Well, what do you need?

Prue: We need to de-tox a demon, and we need something called billing's root.

Witch: Well, you have that. It's on the... bottom shelf.

(She takes a jar out of their cupboard.)

Prue: No, that's ginger.

Witch: Now that's what it's called. In the old covens, they called it billing's root.

Prue: Jenna, you have healed me too! (She hugs Jenna.) Piper, do you think you could help Jenna with the potion, just not point at anything?

Piper: Only one way to find out.

(Prue walks over and takes the keys off the hook.)

Prue: Okay.

Phoebe: Hey, where are you going?!

Prue: To get Cole back here. If I'm right about what I saw in his eyes, he'll go to the mausoleum.

Phoebe: And what if you're wrong?

Piper: Well, then he'll be back here with his buddy to get the amulet.

Prue: I'm not wrong. Cole's not the enemy. He's the victim. And I'm gonna save him.

(Prue leaves.)

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Cole, Tarkin, and Raynor are there.]

Raynor: How could you have failed? It was just one little witch.

Cole: No, it wasn't. The Charmed Ones were there, just like I warned you they might be.

Tarkin: We could have taken them.

Cole: We would have _died_! The amulet protected them.

Raynor: Which is exactly why I wanted it. What has happened to you, Belthazor? A witch's magic never would have stopped you before, you never would have given up. What's changed?

Cole: You know what? Let's just drop the pretences, okay? I'm tired... of playing games. We both know what you're trying to do. It's not gonna work.

Raynor: No?

Cole: You don't care about the amulet. You only care about turning me against Prue.

Raynor: How smart, and yet foolish enough to fall in love.

Cole: Loving her is the best thing that's ever happened to me. You can destroy me, but you can't change that.

Raynor: After all that I've taught you, and all that I've given you, you're willing to give it all up for a witch?

Cole: I'm not gonna kill for you, Raynor. Not anymore.

Raynor: Not even for your father's soul?

(A bright glowing ball appears in Raynor's hand. Cole goes for Raynor, but Tarkin holds him back with a knife up to his neck.)

Tarkin: Settle, brother.

Cole: How did you get that? The Source-

Raynor: Promised to free him if you fulfill your end of the bargain. You kill the witch, come back and finish your obligations, and you and your father will both be free. (Cole shimmers away.) All that separates us from getting him back are a few drops of innocent blood, and they're about to be spilled.

[Cut to the mausoleum. Prue is pacing up and down. Cole shimmers in.]

Prue: Cole. Surprised to see me?

Cole: I hoped, but why'd you come after what I did?

Prue: Because you need me. Besides, it's not like you haven't tried to kill me before. A little energy ball isn't going to stop me.

Cole: You know, I didn't have a choice. I didn't mean to hurt you.

Prue: I know, I know, I know, it's okay. We just need to get you back to the house, get that potion in you and you will be safe.

Cole: It's too late for that.

(Cole coughs.)

Prue: What do you mean? (Cole's hand changes into Belthazor's hand. His face starts to change.) We have to hurry.

Cole: Maybe I should... shimmer us there.

Prue: You can't use your demonic powers, it's too much temptation. We'll just drive. Come on.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper, Phoebe, and Jenna are there. Piper and Jenna are making the potion while Phoebe searches through the Book of Shadows.]

Jenna: Shake water vigorously for two hundred heartbeats. Then add a pinch of dandelion and a dash of chickweed.

(Piper pours some water into a jar.)

Phoebe: You're using bottled water?

Piper: For Cole, the purer the better. (She screws the lid on. Phoebe reaches for it.) I got it.

Phoebe: Okay.

Piper: Time me. (Phoebe reaches for the jar.) I got it. (Piper shakes the jar while Phoebe looks at her watch.) Leo should have been back by now. It must mean my powers are screwed forever. They're punishing me.

Jenna: You're a fulfillment of a great prophecy. Why punish you?

Piper: Oh, forgery, wanting to have a normal life, getting pissed off. By next week, I'll be walking around like Carrie at the prom.

Jenna: I think that's enough shaking.

(Jenna takes the jar off of Piper. Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Leo! Where the hell have you been?

Phoebe: (to Piper) Hi, easy, remember, breathe, okay? Leo, Jenna the innocent, Jenna, Leo the Whitelighter.

Leo: Hi. (They shake hands.)

Piper: Leo, why are my powers so wonky?

Leo: They're not, they're... advancing. Uh, turns out your powers work by slowing down molecules, and apparently now you can speed them up as well.

Piper: Okay, but why now? Couldn't they have picked a better time?

Phoebe: Hey, okay, don't look a gift power in the mouth. That one kicks _ass_ and we may need it sooner than you think.

(She walks over to the Book of Shadows.)

Piper: Why?

Phoebe: Because when the two amulets are joined together, only a spell can activate their power. _This_ spell.

(Piper and Leo walk over.)

Piper: What does that mean?

Phoebe: It means that if the Brotherhood wants to actually _use_ the amulets, they're gonna have to come here for the spell.

Jenna: But I was told that evil couldn't use the amulets.

Phoebe: Maybe they've figured out a way.

(Prue and Cole walk in.)

Prue: Hey.

(Cole sits in a chair.)

Phoebe: You look like hell.

Cole: You have _no_ idea.

Prue: Is the potion done?

Jenna: It still has to cool and turn blood red.

Piper: I'll get some ice.

Phoebe: Oh, uh, I'll help you, so you don't melt it. (Piper and Phoebe walk out of the attic and down the stairs.) Well, look on the bright side, at least you got a new power. I mean, you've been bitching about it long enough.

Piper: Yeah, well, careful what you bitch for.

(Tarkin shimmers in. Piper uses her power and breaks a potted plant.)

Phoebe: Uh…. (Tarkin throws an energy ball at them and they dodge. Phoebe goes over and kicks him in the stomach, then his head, then his stomach. He flies against the wall.) Try again!

(Piper uses her power and a shelf falls on top of Phoebe, knocking her unconscious.)

Piper: Oops. (Tarkin gets up.) Prue, help! (She hits Tarkin over the head with a vase.) Prue! Prue, help! (Prue stands at the top of the stairs.) Watch out! (Tarkin throws an energy ball at Prue and she jumps over the bannister, landing on some furniture.) Oh, please, please, please. (She uses her power and Tarkin explodes.) _I did it_! (Prue gets up.) _I did it_!

Prue: Very good.

Piper: Of course I meant to freeze him. Are you alright?

Prue: I am, thanks to you.

Piper: I don't think Phoebe is gonna be quite as grateful.

Prue: Wake her up. I've gotta get back to Cole.

(Prue goes upstairs.)

Piper: Um….

[Cut to the attic. The potion, sitting in a chalice, turns blood red.]

Jenna: (to Leo) It's ready.

(Raynor shimmers in and throws an energy ball at Leo. He is knocked unconscious. Jenna gasps. She turns to Raynor and holds her amulet.)

Cole: Leave her out of this, Raynor.

Jenna: I serve with every breath, even my last.

Raynor: I'd love to take you up on that. But I think I'll save that pleasure for my brother.

(Raynor throws an energy ball at Jenna. The amulet protects her, but she still gets thrown back into some boxes. She falls to the floor and the amulet falls off her neck. Prue gets to the top of the stairs and tries to open the door, but Raynor has blocked it. She uses her power on the door, but it doesn't open enough to allow entry. She looks through the crack.)

Prue: Cole?!

Raynor: I've come to take you home.

Cole: I am home.

Prue: Cole!

Raynor: You will be when you kill the witch. Stop fighting it, Belthazor. You're a demon. Embrace it. Let evil make you strong again. Give into it.

Prue: Cole! Leo!

Raynor: The rage in you is rising, but it's not me that you want to kill. It's her. Do it. Free yourself.

Cole: No.

(Prue and Piper come up behind Prue.)

Raynor: Is she really worth sacrificing your father's soul for?

Prue: Cole, no, don't do it.

(Cole yells and he changes into Belthazor. He throws an energy ball at Jenna. She disappears. Raynor shimmers away.)

Prue: Cole.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Continued from before. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe get inside. Piper and Phoebe run over to Leo. Prue stares at Belthazor.]

Belthazor: Prue.

Piper: What did you do to him?

(Belthazor changes back into Cole.)

Prue: I saw what you did.

Cole: It's not what it looks like. It wasn't-

Prue: Jenna is dead, and Leo is unconscious. What else could it be?

Cole: Raynor forced me. I had no choice.

Prue: There's always a choice, Cole!

(Cole sees the potion.)

Cole: The potion. (He reaches for it but Phoebe grabs if before he can.) Before it's too late.

Prue: It's already too late. You killed an innocent woman. There is no turning back from that.

Cole: I didn't wanna kill her. You've gotta understand that. I can still be good.

Prue: There's nothing good in you anymore.

Phoebe: Maybe there never was. You have to read the spell to activate the amulets, right? I mean, Cole, maybe that was your plan all along, to get the book.

Piper: But evil can't use the amulets or the book.

Prue: He could've if we'd stripped his powers. Is that why you wanted the potion, Cole?! So you could get the spell and use the amulets against us?!

Cole: Prue. You've gotta believe me.

Piper: I think she's believed you one too many times.

Cole: (demonic voice) Stay out of this! (normal voice) This is between me and her.

Prue: There's nothing between us anymore.

Cole: Prue, don't let Raynor take this away from us, don't let him... win.

Prue: Raynor didn't _set_ , _you_ , _up_ , you set _me_ up. What am I supposed to do?

Cole: Please. Save me.

Prue: Save yourself.

(She throws the potion on the floor. Cole shimmers away.)

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Piper is repotting the plant. Phoebe walks in.]

Piper: Sorry about knocking you out. Nothing personal.

(Phoebe picks up some books.)

Phoebe: Yeah, well, at least you didn't blow me up.

Piper: Yeah, I was kinda relieved too.

Phoebe: Piper, the control will come.

Piper: Mm-hmm. Yeah, tell that to the Ficus.

Phoebe: Well, you sure told it to Tarkin.

Piper: That was kinda cool.

Phoebe: So, see, we can celebrate. You know, I mean, you got a new power and you beat a demon with it.

Piper: I wish I could've done more. For Jenna, and Cole. I mean, vanquishing one bad guy, and losing three good guys is not exactly a winning score.

Phoebe: Yeah, so we are still counting Cole as good, right?

Piper: Yeah, I mean, I actually finally understand how he feels, having something inside of you that you can't control, which is capable of hurting the people you love even if you don't want it to.

(Prue walks in holding three candles.)

Prue: Oh, I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to stick you with the morning after clean up.

Piper: How are you doing?

Prue: I'm not sure.

(She sits down on the couch and places the candles on the coffee table.)

Phoebe: Well, you have a lot to sort out.

Prue: No, not really. I lost my soulmate to evil, end of story.

Piper: Prue, I think he really tried, but….

Prue: It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. I thought we could do a blessing for our two fallen witches, and for Cole.

(Piper and Phoebe kneel in front of the table. Prue lights a match and hands it to Phoebe.)

Phoebe: For Liza, a lost sister, may her spirit soar.

(She lights a candle, then hands the match to Piper.)

Piper: For Jenna, our lost friend, may we meet again.

(She lights a candle and hands the match to Prue.)

Prue: For Cole, a lost love. (She lights the candle.) May he find peace.

(She blows out the match. Leo runs in.)

Leo: Piper, we're going... (He sees what they're doing.) … to have plenty of time to talk later.

Prue: No, it's okay, Leo. We could, uh, actually use some good news, and it seems like you have some.

Leo: Well, I don't have news, but I do have... a passport.

(He shows it to them. Piper gasps. Phoebe holds Piper's hands down.)

Piper: You went back?

Leo: Yeah, I was thinking with everything that's happened, and your new power making life a little crazy, alright, crazi _er_ , I figured the least that I could do was make it somewhat normal.

Piper: Are you sure?

Leo: Anything it takes to get you on a plane to Paris.

Piper: Ah, you know what? I think we should wait on that. (She goes over to him.) I wouldn't want to sneeze at 40,000 feet and have a whole bunch of people explode. That would be bad.

(She kisses him.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Cole shimmers in.]

Raynor: I knew you'd come back. I've been waiting for you.

Cole: My father's soul. Where is it?

(The bright glowing ball appears in Raynor's hand. Cole carefully takes if off him.)

Raynor: Of course, now that you're evil, what can you do with it?

Cole: That's not your concern.

Raynor: True. You were my only concern.

Cole: How'd you get me to do it? A spell?

Raynor: Does it really matter? But you enjoyed it, didn't you, killing the witch?

Cole: Not as much as I'm gonna enjoy this. (He stabs Raynor in the stomach.) You killed Prue's love for me. Now I'm gonna watch you die.

Raynor: I can feel your heart. It's racing even as mine slows. You're enjoying this. I can feel it. (Cole digs the knife in deeper.) This is what I hoped for. Your inner-demonic nature finally showing itself in all its... glory. (Cole pushes him away.) You're truly evil now, Belthazor. Welcome home.

(Raynor falls to his knees. Fire surrounds him and he disappears. Cole kneels on the ground and a tear slides down his cheek.)


	21. Look Who's Barking

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** I wanted to thank shadowslayer23 for the new review. I really appreciate it. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so far. To answer the questions I've gotten, I plan to do Seasons 4-8 after this season as well, as well as Seasons 9 & 10 if possible as they are canon. I am planning to have all four sisters, but I won't know what I'll actually be doing until next update, as I plan to post the last chapter for this fic, All Hell Breaks Loose, and the first two chapters of the next fic, Season 4, at the same time, as I did chapters 19 and 20 of this fic. But I can tell you now that it will either be all four sisters, or Paige will not exist, as I want Prue to remain, and killing off either Piper or Phoebe would make things more complicated than needed.

 **Look Who's Barking**

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Prue is sitting on the couch with the Book of Shadows. She is gluing pictures of Cole in the Book of Shadows. She writes "Cole Turner human form" on the page. Phoebe walks in the manor and into the living room.]

Prue: Why didn't you invite him in?

Phoebe: Who?

Prue: Your date. The guy you've been smooching on the porch for the last ten minutes.

Phoebe: Eavesdropping, were you?

Prue: Well, I'm single again, so I have no choice but to live vicariously through your love life.

Phoebe: Wow, I'd pick a different love life if I were you. Lately mine's been rated PG for _pretty grim_.

Prue: That's because no one ever makes it through the threshold, Phoebe. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you're out there looking, but you can't keep saving yourself for Mr. Right. I need more vicarious thrills than that.

Phoebe: I am not saving myself for Mr. Right. I mean, Mr. Interesting would do, or Mr. Personality, or even Mr. Take-My-Breath-Away. I don't care.

Prue: Ooh, be careful with the last one. They tend to surprise you in _all_ the wrong ways.

(Phoebe reads the page Prue's making.)

Phoebe: 'Cole likes... walks in the park, jazz, and fine wine.' Prue, what are you doing?

Prue: Well, Cole's a demon. We write about demons in the Book of Shadows, don't we?

Phoebe: Right, but... this kind of stuff? Do you really think that's necessary?

Prue: Yeah, if it prepares future witches in case he attacks, absolutely. I mean, the more that they know about Cole, the better chance they have of hurting him before he hurts them.

Phoebe: Do you wanna talk about it?

Prue: No, there's nothing to talk about. I loved, I lost, and now I'm moving on.

(They hear an explosion.)

Phoebe: What was that?

Prue: Piper.

(They go into the kitchen.)

Phoebe: Alright. Where is she?

Prue: In the bunker formerly known as the basement.

Phoebe: I thought she was getting a handle on her new powers.

Prue: Yeah, that was before her new powers got a handle on her.

(phoebe knocks on the basement door.)

Phoebe: Piper!

Piper: _What?!_

Phoebe: Are you okay?!

[Cut to the basement. There is stuff all over the floor.]

Piper: I'm fine! The Christmas decorations are not!

Prue: Can we come down?!

Piper: _No_! Stay away from the door! It's not safe!

Phoebe: Piper, that's ridiculous, we're your sisters!

[Cut back upstairs.]

Phoebe: (to Prue) Maybe we should back up just a little bit.

(They move away from the door. Dogs start barking from outside.)

Prue: Geez, who let the dogs out?

Phoebe: You can't stay down there forever!

Piper: Yes I can!

Phoebe: No, you can't! You have a club to run and a husband who can't stand to live without you!

Prue: That's right, and-and two sisters who need you to cook for them, and fight evil with them!

Phoebe: Okay, do you want her to come up, or do you want her to stay down there?

Prue: Oh.

(Kit hisses.)

Phoebe: What is going on?

(Kit runs through the kitchen, knocking over the bin. She runs past Phoebe and Phoebe knocks over some utensils.)

Piper: What was that?! What happened?!

Phoebe: Uh, nothing, just relax! It was only Kit! Don't blow anything up!

Prue: Okay. What the hell is going on out there?

[Cut to a man's apartment. His little pug dog is looking out the window. It runs over to the man and sits in front of him. It barks. The man is sitting in a chair, flipping through a photo album. He is crying.]

Man: Oh, Catherine. Oh, Catherine, my darling. (The dog continues to bark. Glass objects around the house start shaking.) Misty, stop it!

(A strange noise gets louder and louder, and everything in the room shakes. The light bulbs blow and all the glass smashes. The windows smash and in flies a Banshee. She lets out a high-pitched scream. The man blocks his ears. The Banshee moves closer to the man and screams in his face. The man covers his face and blood drips down his face.)

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Prue is there writing in the Book of Shadows. Phoebe walks in.]

Prue: Morning.

Phoebe: Morning. Uh, you're not still writing in there about Cole are you?

Prue: Nope.

Phoebe: Good.

Prue: I'm actually writing about his demonic half now.

(Phoebe sits down at the table with a cup of coffee and the paper.)

Phoebe: Prue, I'm-I'm starting to get a little worried about you.

Prue: Oh, don't worry about me, worry about Piper.

Phoebe: Why? Is she still locked in the basement?

Prue: No, she's locked herself in her bedroom now.

Phoebe: Well, at least somebody's improving. (Phoebe sees an article in the newspaper.) Huh, looks like we weren't the only ones annoyed by the dogs barking last night. It says that there was a record number of noise complaints.

Prue: Mm-hmm.

Phoebe: It says here that at the exact same time there was a man murdered in our neighbourhood.

Prue: Do you mind?

Phoebe: No motive, nothing stolen, nothing that suggests how he was killed, lots of shattered glass everywhere.

Prue: You know this isn't gonna work, you trying to distract me-

(Phoebe touches a page in the Book of Shadows and has a premonition. In it, there is a girl in a phone booth. The glass smashes. She covers her face and blood trickles down her face.)

Prue: What?

Phoebe: I saw a little girl. She couldn't have been any older than fourteen or fifteen.

Prue: I think you're right. I think a demon was responsible for that man's death. (She stands up with the Book of Shadows.) And I think I know which one.

(Prue walks into the living room and puts the book on a chair. She clears the table. Phoebe walks in.)

Phoebe: Uh, Prue, what are you doing?

(Prue turns the table onto its side.)

Prue: We'll use the magic to magic spell to summon Cole, and then we vanquish him.

Phoebe: Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. What makes you think that Cole's responsible?

Prue: Because you were holding the Belthazor page when you got the premonition.

Phoebe: Uh, okay, but shattered glass, an old man, a teenager? That's not exactly his MO.

Prue: Then why else would you get the premonition?

Phoebe: I don't know, Prue, but I think you're barking up the wrong demon. Look, I know that he hurt you, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a bad-

Prue: Phoebe, I can do this with you or without you. Just please, get the vanquishing potion.

Phoebe: What if the potion doesn't work?

Prue: It'll work. It has to.

(Prue flips through the book and finds the spell.)

[Cut to the cave underground. Cole is dressed in a black robe. He is chanting.]

Prue/Phoebe: (voice-over) "Magic forces black and white. (Wind surrounds Cole.) Reaching out through space and light."

[Cut to the manor.]

Prue/Phoebe: "Be he far, or be he near/Bring us the demon Belthazor here."

[Cut to the cave. Cole is hanging on to a rock.]

Cole: No!

[Cut to the manor]

Prue/Phoebe: "Magic forces black and white/Reaching out through space and light/Be he far, or be he near/Bring us the demon Belthazor here."

(A tunnel of wind appears in the center of the room.)

Phoebe: Here he comes.

[Cut to the cave. Cole hangs on to the rock. He changes into Belthazor. The wind disappears. He knocks everything off of the table. He bangs on the table angrily.]

[Cut to the manor. The wind tunnel disappears.]

Prue: Wait a minute. What happened? Why didn't it work?

Phoebe: I don't know.

(They walk into the middle of the room.)

Prue: _Damn it!_

Phoebe: Uh, alright, we're just gonna have to find the girl another way. We'll have to go to the first victim's apartment and see if there's anything there.

Prue: Should we get Piper?

Phoebe: No, let's not put her anymore on edge than she already is. Come on.

[Cut to Piper's room. Piper is sitting on the bed meditating. She is listening to a tape.]

Man on tape: Soft inhalation, slow, deep exhalation. Be at peace in this world. Allow your mind to drift. Slow inhala-

(Leo orbs in and scares Piper. She blows up her CD player.)

Piper: _Leo_! You're supposed to _knock_ , _not orb_!

Leo: But I live here!

(Piper gets a fire extinguisher and uses it on her CD player.)

Piper: Ugh.

(She points it at Leo.)

Leo: Okay, okay, okay, just relax.

Piper: That's what I was _trying_ to do, and then somebody made me blow up my Guru! (Leo moves towards her.) No-no-no! Stay away! I am _not_ safe!

Leo: Piper, come on.

Piper: No, I mean it. My hands are lethal weapons, and I don't know how to control it, and it gets worse every day.

Leo: Well, that's normal. It took you a while to learn how to control your freezing power, remember?

(He sits down beside her.)

Piper: _Freezing_ is one thing, _blowing up stuff_ is _another_ thing altogether.

Leo: Well, except this time, you're not alone. I'm here.

Piper: Yeah, but you _shouldn't_ be here. You shouldn't be anywhere near me. It's _too_ dangerous.

Leo: Then how are we going to go on our honeymoon?

Piper: We're not gonna go on our honeymoon, we're gonna cancel it.

Leo: We are not cancelling our honeymoon.

Piper: Well, then tell the Elders to take this power back. I don't want it. I'm not ready for it.

Leo: They wouldn't have given it to you if you weren't ready for it. I know that, both as your Whitelighter and as your husband.

Piper: What if you're wrong? What if I hurt someone? I just…. I feel so helpless.

Leo: One thing you're not is helpless. You are one of the strongest, most (They lay down on the bed) capable people I have ever known. And don't forget I've been around for a while.

Piper: Really?

Leo: You can handle this, honey. We can handle it together.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Man's apartment. Prue, Phoebe, and an Inspector are there. Prue and Phoebe are looking around.]

Inspector: So what kind of specialists are you anyway?

Phoebe: Inspector Morris didn't tell you?

Inspector: No, he didn't.

(Prue sees a photo album on the floor.)

Prue: Can I pick this up?

Inspector: Sure, Forensics is done here. (Prue picks it up.) Are you those psychics we keep hearing about he was working with?

(Phoebe laughs)

Phoebe: Psychics. Right, that's a good one.

Prue: Is this the victim's wife?

Inspector: Yeah. She died a couple of months ago. Neighbors say the poor guy never got over it.

Prue: Any suspects?

Inspector: All we know is whoever did it busted through that window. Although, three stories up, nobody can figure out how.

Prue: Did you see any scorch marks by where the body was?

Phoebe: I don't think there would have been a body if… (the Inspector looks at her) that particular weapon had been used.

Inspector: Are you from Arson?

Prue: Uh, no, I was just curious of how he died.

Inspector: He drowned in his own blood, according to the M.E. All his blood vessels just burst for no reason. Are you Feds?

Prue: Actually, Inspector, we're witches, okay? We actually think a demon might have done this. Probably my ex-boyfriend, and if he did do this, then we have to find him and vanquish him. Satisfied?

Inspector: That's very funny.

(He leaves the room.)

Phoebe: Okay, are you out of your mind?

Prue: Well, it got rid of him, didn't it? So what do you think?

Phoebe: Definitely supernatural, _but_ was it Belthazor?

[Scene: Cave underground. Cole is there talking to another demon.]

Cole: Well, they must have some of the vanquishing potion. Otherwise why try to summon me?

Demon: Perhaps the witch who loved you wants you back. Humans can be very forgiving.

Cole: Nah, not this human, not after what I did. If I know her, she wants to crucify me, and knowing her is exactly what I wanted you to help me stop doing, Alchemist. If I'm to fully revert to my demonic self, I need to break all ties, remove all doubt.

Demon: Transmuting your blood might make you immune to the witches' potion, Belthazor. But it won't necessarily make you immune from her pull.

Cole: That's alright. If she summons me again-

Demon: That's not the pull I'm talking about. Your human half will always be vulnerable to that which makes _all_ humans vulnerable. No sorcery can change that.

(Cole pulls up his sleeve.)

Cole: Then do what you can.

(A knife flies off the table into the demon's hand. He cuts Cole's arm. Electricity comes out of the demon's hand, into Cole's wound.)

[Cut to the manor. Prue and Phoebe are sitting on the couch looking at the Belthazor page in the Book of Shadows.]

Prue: I'm telling you, it's gotta be Cole.

Phoebe: Prue, just because you want it to be him, doesn't necessarily make it him.

Prue: This isn't about me and Cole, this is about what you saw. Your premonitions are always directly connected to what you're _touching_ at the time.

Phoebe: Oh, okay, well, wait a minute. What if the back of my hand was touching (Phoebe turns the page) this page? A Banshee, whatever that is.

(Leo and Piper come down the stairs.)

Leo: It's a demon who feeds on souls in great pain.

Phoebe: (to Piper) Hey, stranger, long time, no see.

Piper: Well, like you said, I can't hide forever. Although you guys should be wearing asbestos suits.

Prue: Oh, I think we'll risk it.

Piper: I just don't want anybody to get hurt.

Prue: Well, since you can't freeze us, you probably can't blow us up either.

(Piper sits down beside them.)

Phoebe: Just keep your hands where we can see them.

Prue: Alright, so the Banshee.

Leo: Well, they're pretty rare. What they do is hunt for their victims with a high pitched call. Something beyond our range to hear.

Prue: Okay, so then how do they find their victims?

Phoebe: (reading from the book) By hearing the inner cry, by zeroing in on the waves of pain that emanate from the stricken.

Leo: Then their call turns into a scream that kills.

Prue: Well, that explains the broken blood vessels and the shattered glass.

Phoebe: Looks like it's not Cole after all.

Piper: So what do we do? Wear earplugs?

Phoebe: Uh, there is no spell to vanquish the Banshee, but there is one to _track_ a banshee.

Prue: Okay, so all we need is a designated tracker.

[Time lapse. Attic. Prue is standing in a circle of candles. Prue, Piper, and Leo are there outside of the circle. Piper is holding a piece of paper.]

Prue: You're sure about this?

Phoebe: Well, with everything that you and Piper are going through right now, I don't really have much of a choice. Besides, it's just a tracking spell. What's the worst that could happen?

Piper: With our history, don't go there.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, it's almost night and that's when the girl in my premonition was attacked. So let's just do it.

(Prue and Piper read from the piece of paper.)

Prue/Piper: "The piercing cry that feeds on pain/And leaves more sorrow than it gains/Shall now be heard by one who seeks/To stop the havoc that it wreaks."

(They hear thunder and a bright light surrounds Phoebe. She disappears.)

Prue: Phoebe?

Piper: Oh my god. (They look down and Phoebe has turned into a large white dog.) Phoebe?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe's room. Prue is looking under the bed trying to get Phoebe out.]

Prue: Come on, Phoebe. Come on, come on out. We're still your sisters, you know. (Phoebe whimpers.) Oh, honey, don't sound so sad, it's gonna be okay.

Piper: _How_? How is this gonna be okay?

Prue: Hands in your pockets.

(Leo walks in.)

Piper: What did you find out? Why did the spell backfire?

Leo: I don't think it did.

Piper: What are you talking about, Leo? Phoebe is walking around on all fours and _barking_. If that's not a _backfire_ , then what is?

(Phoebe whimpers.)

Prue: Shh, you're scaring her.

Leo: Alright, all I'm saying is that you guys cast a tracking spell, and since dogs can obviously hear a Banshee's call, what happened makes sense. Phoebe should be able to track it now.

Prue: Yeah, if she ever comes out. (She looks under the bed.) Phoebe, honey, okay, you can't stay under there all night. Okay, if you won't come out for you, will you at least come out for an innocent? We can't save that teenage girl without you. (They wait and Phoebe finally comes out.) That's a good girl! That's a good girl. Who's a good girl?

Piper: Well, at least we know she understands what we're saying.

Prue: Oh, she's such a pretty dog.

Piper: What else did you expect?

Leo: A Doberman? (Phoebe growls and barks at Leo.) Easy.

Piper: Oh, honey, watch your orbs.

Prue: So what do we have to do to get our real sister back?

Leo: Once the Banshee is vanquished, the spell should reverse itself.

(Phoebe runs out of the room.)

Piper: Well, what if the Banshee doesn't show up until, like, next year? Then what do we do then?

Leo: I don't think you'll have to wait that long. Banshees have an insatiable appetite for pain. They feed every night.

Prue: Okay, what do we do once she _finds_ the demon? I mean, there's no vanquishing potion, there's no power of three.

(Phoebe barks and they hear a crash.)

Piper: Oh my god, Phoebe!

(They run out of the room.)

[Cut downstairs. Phoebe is chasing Kit around the house. Kit runs up the stairs and Prue, Piper, and Leo come down the stairs. They stop Phoebe.]

Piper: Phoebe, no! Stop! Stop! No-no-no-no, very, very bad, Phoebe. Very, very bad Phoebe. (Phoebe growls.) Hi, Kujo, who you growling at?

Leo: Maybe I better go check with the Elders and see if they know how to vanquish the Banshee.

Prue: Wait a minute, don't tell me you're afraid of Phoebe.

Leo: _Yeah._

Piper: W-wait a minute, hold it. What if we find the Banshee in the meantime?

Leo: Well, you blew up the last demon that you fought, didn't you?

Piper: Yeah, but I was trying to _freeze_ him.

Leo: Just remember what we talked about. Just try and relax.

(Leo orbs out.)

Piper: I really wish everybody would quit telling me to _relax_.

(Phoebe runs over to the front door.)

Phoebe: What is it? What is it? What is it, girl?

(They follow her into the foyer.)

Piper: Do you think she hears the Banshee?

(Phoebe barks and scratches the door. Prue opens the door and Phoebe runs out.)

Piper: Wait! Wait!

(They grab their coats and follow Phoebe.)

[Time lapse. Prue and Piper are standing outside.]

Prue: This is worse than I thought.

Piper: I never imagined anything like this could _ever_ happen to us.

Prue: All I know is this can't go on much longer.

Piper: So what are we gonna do?

Prue: Rock, paper, scissors?

Piper: No way, you already lost.

Prue: Two out of three!

Piper: Nuh-uh.

(Piper hands Prue a plastic bag. Phoebe comes out from behind the bushes.)

Prue: This is _so_ humiliating.

(The dogs down the street start barking. Phoebe barks.)

Piper: Prue? Does this mean what I think it means?

(Phoebe runs off. Prue drops the plastic bag and they run after Phoebe.)

Prue: It means I'm off the hook! I'm off the hook!

Piper: Phoebe, wait!

[Cut to an alley. A teenage girl is in a phone booth.]

Girl: Mom? Dad? Are you there? Pick up, please, it's me. Mom? Oh, thank god. I'm so sorry. I never should have went away. I want to come home. (She hears the Banshee's call getting closer.) Yeah. I don't know. Somewhere in San Francisco.

(The Banshee jumps on top of a dumpster and screams. The glass on the phone booth smashes. The Banshee jumps on the ground and lets out a high-pitched scream. The girl covers her face. Phoebe runs around the corner and attacks the Banshee. Prue and Piper come around the corner.)

Piper: Phoebe?! _Oh._ (Piper goes over to the girl.) It's okay, it's okay. Run, run.

(The girl runs away. Phoebe barks. The Banshee jumps up and Prue uses her power to throw her back on the ground. Piper goes over and the Banshee hits her. She lands on some wooden crates. The Banshee screams and faces Prue.)

Prue: Piper, now!

(Piper tries to freeze the Banshee, but blows up the dumpster. The Banshee falls back. Phoebe barks. Piper goes over to Prue.)

Piper: Are you okay?

Phoebe: I think so, yeah.

(The Banshee runs off and Phoebe follows.)

Piper: Phoebe, no, wait!

(The Banshee runs into the street and jumps on a car. She leaps across the street onto another car. Phoebe runs onto the road. A horn beeps and a car runs into Phoebe. A man stops and gets out of the car. He goes to Phoebe.)

Man: Oh, god. Don't get up. Just stay there, baby. You're alright. Good girl. Shh. Can somebody give me a hand here?! Shh. It's alright, good girl, good girl. Can somebody help?!

[Cut to the manor. Kitchen. Piper flips through a phonebook. Prue comes in, talking on the phone.]

Prue: No, Darryl, I realize that you can't put an APB out for a dog, but couldn't you at least ask the other cops to keep an eye out for her? (Listens) Yeah, okay, that would be great. Call Piper's cell if you hear anything. Bye. (She hangs up) Do you think that the animal shelters are even open this late?

Piper: They better be, because this is a disaster, I am _very_ worried.

Prue: Well, don't worry, we will _find_ Prue and we will find the Banshee. (Prue gets a bottle of water out of the fridge.) At least we saved that girl.

Piper: Yeah, and how are we gonna save you?

Prue: What are you talking about?

Piper: I'm talking about how the Banshee zeroed in on you, even though I was the one blowing up things.

Prue: So?

Piper: So, the Banshee seeks out people who are in great pain, and apparently it thinks that you are.

Prue: Piper, that's ridiculous.

Piper: Prue, you are not the first Halliwell to fall in love with a demon and get burned. I know how much that hurts, which means I know how much _you_ hurt. But I think you're in denial.

Prue: Okay. Well, if you'll forgive me, Dr. Laura, I have a different demon to worry about at the moment.

(Prue starts to leave.)

Piper: _Wait a minute_ , where are you going?

Prue: I'm gonna go get the Book of Shadows, so that we can cast the tracking spell, on _me_.

Piper: Wait, huh? You want to turn yourself into a dog too?

Prue: Do you know a better way to find the Banshee and to find Phoebe?

Piper: No, but….

Prue: Then you will mind your business, and I am going to get the Book of Shadows.

(She leaves the kitchen.)

[Cut to the attic. Prue walks in and over to the Book of Shadows. She flips through the book and stops at the Cole/Belthazor pages. She stares at them for a moment, then picks up the book. She sits down on a chair and cries.]

[Cut downstairs. Piper is on the phone.]

Piper: Well, there _isn't_ any shelter open. This is an emergency. Well, th-th-there's gotta be some place. (Leo orbs in.) Never mind. (She hangs up.) We lost Phoebe.

Leo: What?

Piper: She ran off after the Banshee attacked.

Leo: Wait a minute, you fought the Banshee and you and Prue are okay?

Piper: Yeah, fine, why?

Leo: Because the Elders just told me that Banshees are former witches.

Piper: So?

Leo: _So_ , the Banshee's scream doesn't kill witches. It turns them into Banshees.

[Cut to the attic. Prue has stopped crying.]

Prue: Why, Cole? (She hears the Banshee's call getting closer. Vases and bottles in the room start to shake.) Piper!

[Cut to downstairs.]

Piper: Prue?!

(Piper and Leo run upstairs.)

[Cut to the attic. The bottles smash, then all the windows smash. Prue falls on the floor. The Banshee flies through the window and lets out a high-pitched scream. Piper and Leo run in. The Banshee goes for Piper, but Piper blows her up.]

Piper: Huh, shut her up.

Leo: Prue, you okay?

(Prue turns into a Banshee.)

Piper: _Uh-oh._

(Prue pushes Piper and Leo and runs over to the window. She screams and jumps out.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper and Leo are there.]

Leo: Are you okay?

Piper: Am I _okay_? Phoebe is a dog and Prue is a Banshee. I am not even in the _vicinity_ of okay. How did this happen? W-What am I supposed to do? And you know, you could have told me about the witches turn into Banshees thing a little bit earlier.

Leo: Honey, just try and relax.

Piper: Would you stop telling me to relax?! (Piper blows up a sewing machine.) That was Grams' sewing machine!

Leo: Well, we don't have time for you to _lose_ it.

Piper: Well, _too bad_ , because I _am_ losing it, whether we have time for it or not.

Leo: Listen to me. We have to save Prue before she hurts someone. If she kills just one person, she stays a Banshee forever.

Piper: Okay, could you give me all the bad news at once? Do you have to keep _doling it out_ for _dramatic effect_?

Leo: We have to find Prue.

Piper: _How_ , without Phoebe to track her?

Leo: We'll find a way. You can do this, Piper.

Piper: No, actually, I can't. See, 'cause Prue and Phoebe are the super witches, and I just tag along and freeze things, and now I can't even do that right.

Leo: That's not true. You're just a strong as they are.

Piper: I can't do it _alone_.

Leo: You're _not_ alone. We're partners, don't you see that?

Piper: I'm sorry, it's just…. If anything happens to them….

(They hug.)

Leo: _Nothing_ will happen. We won't allow it.

Piper: Where do we even begin?

Leo: Start by taking a deep breath. That's what your Guru said, right?

Piper: Leo, that's not-

Leo: Shh…. Close your eyes. (She closes her eyes.) Clear your mind. Listen to your instincts. What are they telling you to do?

(Piper opens her eyes.)

Piper: I think I know what to do.

(Piper runs out of the room.)

[Scene: A guy's apartment. Phoebe is asleep on the couch. She opens her eyes and looks around. The guy is on the phone.]

Guy: Are you kidding? I'd love to go, but I can't. The vet said someone has to keep an eye on the dog. Yeah, I got a soft spot for animals, sue me. No, no tags. Maybe I should write an article about irresponsible pet owners, make them feel like dirt. (Phoebe moves around on the couch.) Hold it. I gotta go. (He hangs up and goes over to Phoebe.) Hey, what are you doing? You're supposed to be resting. (She tries to get off of the couch.) No, no, no, you're not going anywhere. Not until you're better.

[Cut to Prue in a car park. She is lurking behind some cars. A woman walks through the car park. She stops and looks around. The woman gets her keys out and continues walking. She approaches a guy leaning against a car.]

Woman: Oh, Ramone.

Ramone: I was beginning to think you stood me up.

(They hug. Prue runs behind a wall and screams.)

[Cut to the guy's apartment. Phoebe is drinking beer from the beer bottle.]

Guy: Oh, you like the imported stuff. That's my kind of girl. (Phoebe gets up and runs over to the door.) What is it? What's the matter? (Phoebe barks.) Shh, you're gonna wake the neighbours. (Phoebe barks.) Okay, okay, you want out, I get it. Here. Hold on. (He opens the door. Phoebe runs out.) Hey. (He grabs his keys and goes outside.) Come here!

[Cut to the Manor. Leo and Piper are walking down the stairs. Piper is carrying the Book of Shadows.]

Leo: Piper, think this through, please.

Piper: You were the one that told me to trust my instincts.

Leo: Yes, that was before you said you were gonna summon Cole, though.

Piper: Well, believe me, it was _not_ my first idea.

Leo: Well, then what was your first idea? Let's do that instead.

Piper: _That_ won't work, this will.

Leo: The last time Cole was here he killed a witch, remember?

(Piper holds up the potion.)

Piper: That is what this is for.

Leo: Well, what if he makes his move before you get a chance to vanquish him?

Piper: I'll freeze him.

Leo: Now you're confident in your powers?

Piper: Okay, so maybe I'll blow him up.

(They walk into the conservatory.)

Leo: What if he blows us up first?

Piper: Well, you're already dead. What's the difference?

Leo: The difference is I don't want you to join me.

Piper: Leo, I love you, and it's because of you that I have the courage to even _attempt_ this, but we don't have any other options. Now, the Banshees target people who are in pain, that's why it went after Prue, and Cole is the source of Prue's pain. So if we can get him to find her and eliminate that pain, then we might be able to get Prue back.

Leo: Do you really think he'll help us?

Piper: Feelings like theirs don't go away. We should know. (Piper turns to the spell in the Book of Shadows.) "Magic forces black and white/Reaching out through space and light/Be he far, or be he near/Bring us the demon Belthazor here."

(A tunnel of wind appears in the room and Cole appears.)

Cole: You rang? Piper. Not the sister I was expecting.

Piper: Prue's in trouble. She's been turned into a Banshee.

Cole: A Banshee? Well, that's different.

Piper: It happened because she was hurting, over you. And I think you're the key to turning her back.

Cole: Sorry, I don't do good anymore.

Piper: Not even for somebody you love?

Cole: Love _d_. Past tense.

Leo: I think we've heard enough.

Piper: Feelings like that don't just die, Cole.

Cole: Wrong. They died when Prue gave up on me. Now all I can do is return the favour.

Piper: You've helped us before, and we have helped you.

Cole: Oh, is _that_ what you were doing when you called me this morning. Helping me? Or, trying to vanquish me?

Leo: Piper, the potion.

Piper: Prue loves you, Cole. And I know that you love Prue. All I'm asking you to do is find her and tell her.

Cole: It's _over_ , Piper. In more ways than one.

Leo: Throw the potion.

Piper: You're right, Cole, it _is_ over.

(Piper throws the potion and nothing happens.)

Cole: _Surprise!_ (He laughs.)

Piper: But….

Cole: Did you really think that I would come here without magical protection? Question is, do you have any protection for yourself?

Leo: Don't threaten her.

Cole: I suggest you orb her out of here, Whitelighter, before there's nothing left to orb.

(Phoebe runs in and barks.)

Piper: Phoebe?

Cole: _Phoebe_? (The house starts to shake.) What's going on?

Piper: Prue's home.

(All the windows smash and Prue flies in. She dives on Cole and screams. He changes into Belthazor and shimmers out, taking Prue with him.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Continued from before. Leo is patting Phoebe.]

Leo: You think she's alright?

Piper: No, I don't. Either way, Prue's screwed.

Leo: No, I meant Phoebe. She seems kind of down.

Piper: Well, she should be. We're about to lose a sister.

Leo: I thought you said Cole would never hurt her.

Piper: In self-defense he would. Did you see her? She was _pissed off_. On the other hand, i-if she kills him, then she's a Banshee forever. (Phoebe runs over to the door.) Oh, this is all my fault. (Phoebe barks.) She zeroed in on Cole's pain for her. I led her to him.

Leo: Well, we found Phoebe, we will find Prue.

(Phoebe continues to bark.)

Piper: But how? What if it's too late? Phoebe, would you be quiet.

Leo: Maybe you should try scrying. (Phoebe walks over and pulls on Leo's pants.) _Ow_ , hey!

(Phoebe jumps through the window.)

Piper: She hears Prue. Hurry, hurry! Go-go-go- _go_!

(They run outside.)

[Cut to the mausoleum. Prue and Belthazor are fighting. Belthazor pushes her across the room. She kicks him and he falls over a crypt. She jumps on him and scratches him. He pushes her off. She screams and Belthazor roars. He grabs her around the neck.]

Belthazor: Don't make me kill you. (She pushes him away.) Damn it, Prue. (He changes back to Cole.)

Cole: I love you.

(Prue screams.)

[Cut outside. Piper and Leo are running, following Phoebe.]

[Cut back to the mausoleum. Phoebe returns to normal.]

[Cut back outside. The dog changes back into Phoebe. Phoebe holds her hip in pain.]

Phoebe: Ow, ow, ow, ow.

Piper: Phoebe! (Piper and Leo catch up to her.) _Phoebe_? You're back!

Phoebe: Ow! Ow, ow, ow, my hip!

Piper: What happened?

Phoebe: Oh, I had a little accident. Hey, Leo, not that I'm complaining, but why am I human again?

Leo: The spell must've played itself out. Prue must not be a Banshee anymore.

Piper: So does that mean Prue's alive, or….?

[Cut back to the mausoleum.]

Prue: Stay away from me. Just _stay away_.

Cole: Prue-

Prue: I don't wanna hear it, Cole!

Cole: Yeah, you do. You're not... the only one hurting here. We both are. That's why we were drawn into this mess. I tried to deny it too. I tried everything to break my feelings for you, even magic. But nothing works.

Prue: It doesn't change anything.

Cole: No, it doesn't. It doesn't change the fact that I killed a witch. Even if I was tricked into doing it.

Prue: What do you mean?

Cole: Forget it, it doesn't matter.

Prue: Yeah, well maybe it matters to me!

Cole: Raynor cast a spell. He made me kill her against my will.

Prue: And _why_ would he do that?

Cole: Because he wanted to turn me. And he knew the only way to do that was to destroy the one thing that was keeping me good. He knew that my killing a witch would destroy your faith in me. And he was right.

Prue: I don't know what to say.

(He touches her face.)

Cole: There's nothing _to_ say. Like you said, it doesn't change the fact that I did it, or that we'll always love each other. I guess that's a pain we both have to live with.

(He shimmers out.)

[Cut outside. Leo is trying to sense Prue.]

Leo: I sense her. Prue's alive.

Phoebe: So, Prue/Banshee…

Leo: Is Prue/Prue. Looks like your plan worked after all.

Piper: Yeah, but if she had to vanquish Cole, then she's probably not doing very well. Why don't you go get her?

(Leo orbs out. Phoebe scratches her head. Piper touches her hair.)

Phoebe: What are you doing?

Piper: I think you got fleas.

Phoebe: You know what? That is so not funny, because I think I do.

Piper: I think you do.

Phoebe: Okay. You have no idea how hard it was being a dog, okay. I mean, peeing outside, eating everything and anything, and just... smelling... everything.

Piper: Must have been rough. No pun intended.

Phoebe: Ha, ha, ha. (Piper giggles.) At least I got to meet a really cute guy.

Piper: You met a _guy_?

Phoebe: Mm-hmm.

Piper: As a _dog_?

Phoebe: Mm-hmm.

Piper: _How?_

Phoebe: Well, he ran me over.

Commercial Break

[Scene: P3. Piper is serving at the bar. Prue and Phoebe are sitting at the bar.]

Piper: Here you go. (Serves two beers to some guys.) Thank you.

Phoebe: You know, you might wanna raise the drink prices.

Piper: _Why?_

(Prue holds up a piece of paper.)

Prue: The bill, from the window repair guy.

(Piper looks at it.)

Piper: Oh, _ouch_.

Phoebe: Yeah, we really keep that guy in business, don't we?

(Phoebe looks around.)

Piper: You expecting someone?

Phoebe: A certain journalist with an empty fridge and a soft spot for man's best friend.

Prue: He hit you, you hit on him, it's only fair.

Phoebe: Hey, how could I resist a guy who put up fliers to find me? (She stands up.) Excuse me. (She walks over to the guy.) Hi.

(Phoebe and the guy walk away.)

Piper: It's good to see you out. It's been a while.

Prue: Yeah, I guess we're both out of hiding. You know, I've been wanting to thank you.

Piper: _For?_

Prue: Calling Cole. I mean, if you hadn't, I'd probably still be screaming.

Piper: Yeah, well, nothing like trusting your instincts.

Prue: I know what you mean. I think I'm gonna act on some of my own.

Piper: Do I even wanna ask?

Prue: I think I made a mistake giving up on Cole. I now know why he did what he did.

Piper: Prue-

Prue: He loves me, which means that there's still good in him. I can bring him back. I know I can.

(Prue walks away.)


	22. All Hell Breaks Loose

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anyone or anything.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you for another review, shadowslayer23. It is much appreciated. To answer your question about Cole, he will be sticking around as well as Prue's endgame, as will their eventual son. :) And now that I know more about what I'll be doing, it will definitely be all four sisters. :)

If you are interested in Season 4, put me on your author alerts so you know when it is published, which should be shortly after this chapter. Thank you, everyone, for reading. :)

 **All Hell Breaks Loose**

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and a doctor walk inside.]

Piper: Okay, I think we made it. I'm sure we made it. Do you think we made it?

Prue: I don't know.

Phoebe: I think he would've attacked by now if we hadn't.

Doctor: Who? Who would've attacked? Why won't you tell me what's going on?

Phoebe: Because we're busy trying to save your life.

Doctor: From _who_?

Prue: Uh, unfortunately, we're not quite sure.

Piper: That's because Phoebe did not give us time to figure it out.

Phoebe: Well, I didn't have a lot of time. I mean, I can't control how far in the future my premonitions take place. I saw the attack, we kicked butt, what more do you want?

Piper: I would like to know _more_ about who we are up against.

Prue: Okay, maybe I should check the Book of Shadows, see if I can find anything else on this demonic hit man, okay.

Doctor: Excuse me, _demonic_?

Piper: And how to vanquish him, that would be a good thing to know, and do not get sidetracked with the Cole potion thingy because the only ones we're concerned about saving right now is ourselves.

(Prue heads up the stairs.)

Phoebe: Uh, o-o-okay, what Cole potion?

Piper: Uh, he told her that he only killed because some demon cast a spell on him. How naive is that?

Phoebe: I thought she was over him?

Piper: Apparently not.

Doctor: What the hell are you talking about? First you tell me my life's in danger, then you _abduct_ me from my work, now you're talking about _demons_ and _witches_. Who the hell are you people?

Phoebe: Look, I know that this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true. Alright, you're a healer, you do good, now either you have saved _too many_ lives or you're about to save a life that _they_ don't want you to save.

Doctor: _They?_

Phoebe: Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax, who is the Source's assassin.

Doctor: Hold it. I get it. This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her. (He laughs.)

Phoebe: O-o-okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but-

(She stops.)

Piper: What?

Phoebe: I don't know. I just... felt a chill. Prue?!

Prue: (from upstairs) Alright, alright, I'm coming!

(A tornado of wind twists through the front door.)

Piper: Prue!

Phoebe: Prue!

(The tornado flies through the foyer and knocks Piper and Phoebe to the floor. A clap of thunder is heard, and the tornado calms down and Shax appears. He is a tall demon and is gray all over. Gray long hair, gray skin, gray unbuttoned shirt, and gray long pants.)

Doctor: _Dear god._

Phoebe: No!

(Phoebe gets up off the floor and pushes the Doctor out of the way. Shax throws an aerokinetic blast at Phoebe and she literally crashes straight through a wall.)

Piper: Phoebe!

(Piper gets up and Shax throws an aerokinetic blast at Piper, sending her crashing through a wall. Shax turns to the Doctor.)

Doctor: _What are you?_

Shax: The end.

(Prue comes down the stairs, holding a piece of paper.)

Prue: "Evil wind that blows/That which forms below/(cracks of thunder are heard) No longer may you dwell/(Shax groans) Death takes you with this spell." (Shax turns back into the wind and disappears outside. Prue sees Piper and Phoebe.) Oh, no. (She goes over to them. They are unconscious and bleeding.) Oh, god. Leo! Leo! (Leo orbs in.) Hurry, it's bad.

(Leo kneels down beside them and places his left hand above Phoebe and his right hand above Piper. He starts to heal them. After a moment, the blood disappears, and they are completely healed. They wake up and groan in pain.)

Piper: Ahh, what happened?

Leo: You guys almost died, that's what happened.

Piper: Yeah, well, what else is new?

Phoebe: Oh. Where's Shax?

Prue: Well, I tried to use the vanquishing spell on him, but I think it just wounded him. He turned into the wind. Well, maybe the spell needs more than one witch to have it's full impact. Ow. Okay, come on.

(Phoebe gets up and then helps Piper up.)

Piper: Come on, come on where?

Prue: To go find him, so we can finish him off while he's still hurt. (to Phoebe) Look, you just stay here with Griffiths, alright. If Shax comes back, say the spell to fend him off, alright? Ow. Okay. Come on.

(Prue and Piper go outside. Leo looks at the Doctor, who's in shock.)

[Cut outside. Prue and Piper are running down the street.]

Piper: Maybe Phoebe hurt him worse than she thought.

Prue: No, he's gotta be around here somewhere. He wouldn't leave without getting what he came for.

Piper: You really think he'd attack us in broad daylight? Evil is usually more insidious than that.

(They stop.)

Prue: Uh, okay, shh.

Piper: What? (The tornado comes up behind them. They turn around and gasp. The tornado dies down and Shax appears. He throws an aerokinetic blast at them, and Prue deflects it back with her power. It hits him but doesn't harm him.) Blow this! (Piper holds out her hands and blows up Shax. He disappears.) _Okay_ , is he dead?

Prue: Well, we didn't really say the spell.

Piper: Well, maybe we don't have to. We don't always. We're lucky nobody _saw_ us.

Prue: Alright, let's just get back to Phoebe. Come on.

(They walk back towards the manor.)

[Cut to down the street. A female reporter and a cameraman are watching Prue and Piper. She turns back to the camera.]

Reporter: Back to me, back to me, back to me. (The cameraman points his camera at her.) Um, okay, um, I'm not exactly sure what just happened, but whatever it was, you saw it here, live.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Prue, Phoebe, and the Doctor are sitting on the cane chairs. Piper walks in holding a glass of water and hands it to the Doctor.]

Doctor: Thank you.

(He takes a sip.)

Phoebe: Now you understand why you have to keep this a secret, why you can't tell anyone about us, about what you saw today?

Prue: If others knew, we wouldn't be able to do what we do anymore. We wouldn't be able to help future innocents like we helped you.

Doctor: No, no, I understand. I mean, I d-don't understand everything. Demons, witches, the Source…. So much for my being an atheist. Your secret is safe with me.

Phoebe: Thank you.

Doctor: No, thank you. You saved my life, the least I can do is protect yours.

Phoebe: Okay. I'll walk you to the door.

(Phoebe and the Doctor stand up.)

Prue: Bye.

(They leave the room. Leo walks in.)

Leo: How'd it go?

Piper: We dodged another bullet.

Prue: Yeah, with him maybe.

Leo: What do you mean?

Prue: I don't know. I mean, something still bothers me about the way that we vanquished Shax. Like, I'm not so sure we really did.

Piper: What do you mean? He screamed, he went poof, just like they all do. Third demon in a row, by the way, that I vanquished with my new power, but who's counting?

(Phoebe walks back in.)

Prue: Right, but if that's all that we needed, then why was there a vanquishing spell in the book? I mean, hasn't that always meant that our individual powers weren't enough?

Leo: Except the book was written by witches with less powers than you guys have. They needed the spells.

Phoebe: Plus, I think if he was still alive, he probably would've attacked again by now.

Prue: Uh, you know, Leo, will you just check to make sure, please? With the Elders?

Leo: No problem.

(Leo orbs out.)

Piper: If you ask me, I think you're being paranoid. We kicked Shax's ass. We bad.

Prue: Yes, you're probably right. Which is why I'm hoping you won't need me around here for a while. I wanna try a new potion on Cole, one that'll reverse the spell that turned him bad in the first place.

Piper: Prue-

Prue: I'm not looking for your approval, Piper, just your support.

Phoebe: Well, Prue, it's sort of hard to give you support when you're just setting yourself up to get hurt again.

Prue: Cole is good inside. I _know_ it. And if dark magic did this to him, then how come white magic can't save him? I can't just turn my back. I have to try.

Piper: What do you want us to do?

Prue: I want you to use the magic to magic spell to send me down there. I reworded it to make it work.

(Prue hands Piper a piece of paper.)

Piper: Uh, Prue, that's awfully dangerous. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to contact each other.

Prue: I'll be safe. I'll be with Cole. And he'll bring me back, so don't worry about that.

Phoebe: You're banking a lot on that little potion of yours, you know.

Prue: No, I'm not. I'm banking on Cole.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Cole is sleeping on some straw. He is wearing a black robe. Prue appears. She crouches down beside him and strokes his hair.]

Prue: Cole, wake up.

(Cole wakes up.)

Cole: Prue. (He gets up.) What are you doing here?

Prue: I came to bring you back.

(He grabs her around the neck.)

Cole: You just made a huge mistake.

[Scene: News studio. The cameraman walks in a room full of people and hands a video tape to Elana, the news reporter.]

Dave: Hey, pipe down everybody! _Quiet_! Close that damn door! (The cameraman closes the door.) Now, what we talk about in this room _stays_ in this room until I say otherwise, alright? (to Elana) Go ahead.

(Elana turns on the TV and plays the tape.)

Elana: (on TV) Seismologists believe that this quiet neighbourhood is actually sitting on top of a fault line.

(Elana and the cameraman hear a noise and the cameraman points the camera at Prue and Piper vanquishing Shax.)

Elana: Back to me, back to me.

(Elana turns off the TV. The silent room turns into quiet murmurs.)

Dave: Has this hit the network feed yet?

News Director: No, but if we don't send it, some idiot out there who taped it _will_.

Man: Which means we won't be able to control the revenues.

Dave: Hold it. We don't even know what the hell it is we've got here yet. Can we just start with that, please? Elana?

Elana: I don't know. I mean, you saw it. What else could it be other than something... supernatural?

News Director: Oh, come on, give me a break. Could've been anything. Some kind of military deal, publicity stunt.

Cameraman: Right, publicity stunt. For what? NASA?

Elana: Yeah, besides, why would they pull a stunt? They didn't even know we were there.

News Director: You don't know that. Maybe they only pretended not to know. For all we know, this is just a hoax.

Dave: Yeah, and if it is, and we send it out before we authenticate it, we're gonna look like fools.

Elana: But we can't put the genie back in the bottle, Dave. 200,000 viewers saw it live. What do you wanna do?

(He thinks for a moment.)

Dave: Go find out who these women are, fast. But be careful, okay? They may not want to be found.

(Elana smiles, and she and the cameraman leave the room.)

[Scene: Outside the manor. Piper and Phoebe are on the sidewalk. Phoebe is crouching down looking at the ground.]

Piper: What did Prue expect us to find? Demons don't usually leave footprints.

(Phoebe stands up.)

Phoebe: How should I know? I mean, sometimes they leave a residue when they've been vanquished. Something otherwise innocuous.

Piper: Frankly, I'm more worried about Prue than Shax. We shouldn't have let her go.

Phoebe: Prue can take care of herself.

(They start walking up the street. They walk past a little girl standing in front of her house.)

Piper: Hi.

(The little girl's mother goes up to her and quickly pulls her inside.)

Mother: Come on, sweetie. Stay away from them.

Phoebe: Hey.

[Scene: Police station. Darryl brings in a handcuffed man and takes him over to a chair.]

Darryl: Sit.

(The man sits down. The captain approaches Darryl.)

Captain: Morris.

Darryl: Captain.

Captain: Looks like all those freaky rumours about you and the Halliwells might not have been rumours after all.

Darryl: What do you mean? (The captain looks at the TV and so does Darryl. He sees the footage of Prue and Piper vanquishing Shax.) _Oh, no_.

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. The TV is on. Piper is there. Phoebe walks in. She's on the phone.]

Phoebe: No, I understand. How long will he be in there? Okay, just have Dr. Griffiths call me as soon as possible. Alright, thanks. Bye. (She hangs up.) Okay, well, Griffiths is in surgery, for now. Even if Prue is right, no way Shax will attack him in there.

Piper: Okay, but what do we do then? We can't protect him indefinitely.

Phoebe: Well, if she's right, we won't have to. I mean, Shax will attack sooner rather than later. We should go, just in case.

Piper: No, we should wait, for Leo, to see what he found out, especially with Prue gone. I mean, what if we need the power of three?

(The phone rings.)

Phoebe: Ooh, maybe that's Griffiths. (Phoebe picks up the phone.) Hello? Darryl, just wait, slow down, okay. _W-What_?

[Cut to Darryl at the police station.]

Darryl: Have you seen the TV yet today? It's all over it.

Phoebe: What's all over it, Darryl?

Darryl: Just... turn on the TV, okay?

[Cut back to the manor.]

Darryl: I told the captain I would handle it. But I-I can't hold them off for long.

(Piper and Phoebe look at the TV in the kitchen. It's showing the footage of Piper and Phoebe vanquishing Shax.)

Piper: _Oh my god_!

Darryl: (on phone) Phoebe? Phoebe?

(The footage changes to Elana and her cameraman in a car.)

Elana: (on TV) Here we are approaching the home of where they allegedly live.

Phoebe: Oh!

(She drops the phone and covers her mouth in shock. Elana is now standing in front of the manor.)

Elana: (on TV) Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell. And you're gonna meet them, live, right here on KCSF.

Piper: What are we gonna do?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Outside the manor. Dozens of cameramen, reporters, etc. are standing on the sidewalk. Two vans are parked on the street. Darryl pulls up in his car and gets out. Reporters race over to him.]

Reporter #1: Have you come to arrest them? Do you consider them dangerous?

Darryl: No comment. (He heads for the stairs and the reporters follow asking more questions.) I said no comment.

(Darryl walks up the stairs where Elana and a woman named Alice are.)

Alice: Hey, hey, I can help. I know who they are, I know what they are. They're witches, just like me, just like I am. (She keeps talking.)

(Darryl approaches the door.)

Darryl: Yeah, Phoebe, I'm at the door, open it up.

Elana: Would you like to make a statement?

(Phoebe opens the door.)

Darryl: I said no comment.

Elana: Miss Halliwell…

Phoebe: Back off!

(Darryl goes inside and Phoebe shuts the door.)

[Cut to inside. Piper walks in the foyer.]

Piper: Isn't that illegal?! Can't you do something about that?!

Darryl: Killing somebody on live TV is pretty illegal too, you know.

Phoebe: Okay, it wasn't _somebody_ , Darryl, it was a demon. And we're pretty sure we didn't kill him anyway.

Darryl: You wanna try telling them that?

Phoebe: Ugh.

Darryl: Look, I've called for backup, but that's not gonna help for long. This thing's gonna get ugly fast.

Phoebe: You and Prue shouldn't have followed Shax into the street.

Piper: We didn't have a choice, Phoebe.

Phoebe: _Didn't you?_

Piper: Sure, we could've let him kill our innocent. That would've been better, _you think_? Alright, you know what? Let's not let this thing get between us, okay. We have enough problems as it is. Please?

Darryl: More than you know. The captain wants me to bring you in for questioning.

Phoebe: Right, Darryl, and what do we tell him? The truth?

Darryl: What are you gonna tell _them_? (the people outside) (Darryl's cell phone rings.) Captain. (He walks in another room.)

Phoebe: You know, maybe when Prue's done saving Cole, she can come back and save _us_.

(Leo orbs in.)

Piper: Hello, Leo, nice of you to orb in. Where have you been?

Leo: Trying to figure out how to get you out of this mess. It's pretty big news up there.

Phoebe: Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's pretty big news down here too. Any suggestions?

Leo: No, they're still working on it.

Piper: Well, by all means, tell them to take their time.

Leo: They're not the ones that screwed up.

Piper: Excuse me, _screwed up_? We've been _busting our wiccan butts for three years_ without getting caught. Don't we get credit for that?

Leo: Piper, you've been exposed. If we can't fix this, it could undermine all the good that you've done, and all the good that you're still destined to do.

Piper: Well, maybe this is our destiny, maybe it's just not meant to be.

Leo: You don't believe that.

Piper: _Don't I?_

Phoebe: I don't. I mean, look, this whole year has just been a series of tests, right? To see what we're made of. Well, maybe this is one more test. Which means we can't give up, alright? So while the Elders are figuring out what we're supposed to do, _we_ still have work to do, okay?

Piper: Dr. Griffiths?

Phoebe: Yeah, if we don't catch him before he gets out of surgery, Shax will. (to Leo) Unless you know something we don't?

Leo: No, you're right, your powers aren't enough to vanquish him. You'll need the three of you to say the spell.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, we only have two of us. Don't ask, just orb us to the hospital, okay?

Leo: I can't. The Elders won't let me. They don't wanna risk exposing Whitelighters too.

(Darryl comes back in.)

Piper: _Cowards!_

Phoebe: Fine, we'll just save him without your guys' help. Let's go.

Darryl: Whoa, Phoebe, Phoebe. Even if you can save your innocent, that still doesn't save yourselves.

Phoebe: Yeah, I-I know that, Darryl, but first things first, alright? Try and buy us as much time with your captain as you can. (to Leo) And you, why don't you get back up there and White light a fire underneath your bosses butts.

(Piper and Phoebe head for the back door.)

[Cut to outside. Elana is talking into the camera her cameraman is holding.]

Elana: Whether or not any arrests have been made at this time-

(Alice sees Piper and Phoebe coming down the driveway.)

Alice: Hey! I need to talk to you!

(Piper and Phoebe run to Prue's car and quickly get in. Elana races over to them.)

Elana: Miss Halliwell….

Alice: No, wait. Don't leave, don't leave.

Elana: Miss Halliwell.

(Alice jumps up and down waving her arms.)

Alice: Hey, take me! (They drive off.) Come on, please, take me with you. Oh, man.

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Prue and Cole are there. Prue kicks Cole and he falls onto some straw.]

Cole: You're not an easy girl to dump.

Prue: Yeah, well, I didn't risk everything to come down here and not get what I came for.

(Cole sits up.)

Cole: Well, you can't have me. Not anymore.

Prue: I can if I reverse the spell that took you away from me.

Cole: We've already had this conversation, Prue. Even if you could reverse it, it doesn't change the fact that I-

Prue: That you killed a witch. Yeah, I know, Cole, but you didn't do it willingly and that's the difference. (He stands up.) That's what gives you a second chance, that's what gives _us_ a second chance.

(Cole grabs Prue around the neck.)

Cole: I already had a second chance, and I blew it. Now, _this_ is your last chance. Do you understand? No more games. Go home. You can't save me.

(Prue reaches in her bag and pulls out the potion. She smashes the vile on his back.)

Prue: You wanna bet? (Cole staggers back.) Pretty cool potion, huh? (Cole reaches out towards her as if to grab her, but then pulls her in and kisses her passionately.) Let's get out of here.

Cole: Where?

Prue: What do you mean where? Home. Back to my place.

Cole: You really think they're just gonna let me go, that they're not gonna come looking for me again?

Prue: We'll fight 'em off.

Cole: For how long, indefinitely? Prue, we tried it up there. It doesn't work for us.

Prue: So where does that leave us?

Cole: Right where we are.

[Scene: San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Dr. Griffiths comes out of a room and throws a surgeon cap in a hamper. He walks over to the reception desk and the receptionist hands him the phone.]

Dr. Griffiths: This is Dr. Griffiths.

(Piper and Phoebe race up to him.)

Phoebe: Hi!

(Phoebe takes the phone off of him.)

Piper: He's still after you! Come on!

Phoebe: Let's go!

(They pull him away from the desk.)

[Cut to outside. Piper, Phoebe, and Dr. Griffiths leave the hospital and head for Prue's car.]

Dr. Griffiths: I thought you said you got rid of this thing!

Phoebe: Yeah, well, we don't think that anymore, okay?!

Dr. Griffiths: Where are we going?!

Phoebe: Just somewhere safe!

Dr. Griffiths: Look, I'm not cut out for….!

Phoebe: _Get in the car!_

(They get in Phoebe's car. Elana and her cameraman pull up nearby. A strong wind pushes Dr. Griffiths out of the car and he falls on the grass. A woman screams. The wind turns into Shax. Piper and Phoebe get out of the car. The news crew look on.)

Piper/Phoebe: "Evil wind that blows/That which forms below/No longer may you dwell/Death takes you with this spell."

(Shax blows up and disappears. The people watching gasp and let out little screams.)

Piper: Now that was a vanquish.

(The people clap and cheer. Piper and Phoebe look around and notice Elana and her cameraman filming them. Elana has a big grin on her face.)

Phoebe: Uh-oh.

Piper: Oh. News at eleven.

Phoebe: Oh, that's bad.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Outside the manor. There are now hundreds of people standing outside, holding cardboard signs. There are dozens of cameramen and news reporters. A helicopter flies above. Police are trying to get the crowd under control. Alice is standing on top of a van.]

Alice: Piper, Phoebe, I'm one of you! I'm the only one who understands! I can help! Hey! Piper! Phoebe!

[Cut to inside the manor. Kitchen. Piper and Phoebe are there. Piper is looking through sheets of paper. Darryl walks in.]

Darryl: (on radio) Get those idiots _off_ the driveway. Get them _back_ behind the tape.

Phoebe: Alright, what I can't figure out is how they knew that we were at the hospital. I-I mean, they didn't follow us.

Darryl: Reporter probably lowjacked your car and followed you.

Phoebe: Forget it. You know, I really hope Prue's doing better _down there_ than we are _up here_.

Piper: Look at all these interview requests we're getting. Ted Koppel, Time Magazine, Jerry Springer…. Sports Illustrated?

Darryl: Yeah, they probably want you for the swimsuit edition. (Piper and Phoebe give him a dirty look.) Just kidding.

Phoebe: You know what? This is a _nightmare_. _Where is Leo_? (Phoebe sees Dr. Griffiths on the TV.) Uh, Piper? (Piper looks at the TV.) Okay. Is that who I think it is?

(Phoebe turns on the volume.)

Dr. Griffiths: (on TV) And then one of them said they needed a vanquishing spell.

Piper: Dr. Griffiths?

Dr. Griffiths: She ran upstairs to get some _book_. (Piper gasps.) I don't know, some _witch-type_ book, I guess. Something that told them how to kill that demon.

Piper: Oh, so much for keeping our secret! Turn him off!

Phoebe: Leo. (Piper and Phoebe walk into the conservatory.) Leo! Leo! Leo! (Leo orbs in.) Ooh. Alright, this thing has to end _now_ , okay? The media is turning it into a freakin' circus.

Leo: Now you know why the Elders have always been highly concerned about exposure.

Piper: Okey-dokey, now we know. Do they have any solutions or not?

Leo: One. But it's a long shot. You have to try and contact Tempus.

(Piper and Phoebe exchange looks.)

Prue: Uh, Tempus? T-Tempus, the demon?

Leo: He's the only one on either side who has the power to manipulate time. To reset everything to before this all started.

Phoebe: Okay, you're-you're definitely right, that-that qualifies as a long shot.

Piper: We vanquished him.

Leo: No, you defeated him, you didn't vanquish him. But that's not the real problem. The real trick is trying to contact him. He's an upper-level demon who's well insulated.

Piper: And why would he want to help us? I mean, we can't make a move without the whole _world_ _tuning in_ to watch. We're basically powerless. Why would he want to change that?

(Suddenly, Alice bursts through the conservatory door.)

Piper/Phoebe: _Whoa!_

Alice: _Cool, I made it!_

Piper: _Who the hell are you?_

Alice: I'm Alice, Alice Hicks. I've been trying to contact you. I want to join your coven.

Phoebe: Are you nuts? This is our home! Get out of here!

(Phoebe goes over and pushes her outside, slamming the door after her.)

Alice: Ow!

(Darryl runs in wielding his gun.)

Darryl: All units stay back, all units stay back! (Darryl stops, confused. Phoebe stares at him.) You guys okay?

Phoebe: Yeah, we got it, Darryl. (to Leo) Alright, this has to end _now_ or our lives are _over_!

[Cut to outside. Alice is walking down the driveway. Elana sees her.]

Elana: What happened? What did they do to you?

Elderly Man: Did they think you were a demon?

Elana: Did they think you were a joke?

Alice: They're mean witches!

(She wipes a tear off her face as she cries and walks away.)

[Cut to inside.]

Piper: Okay, so how do we contact Tempus?

Phoebe: Through Cole. He's an upper-level demon, isn't he?

Piper: Why would _he_ help us?

Phoebe: Because helping us helps Prue. Are you allowed to orb down there?

Leo: Yes, but I won't be able to find her until I'm down there. I can't track her from up here.

Phoebe: Alright, well, then you'd better hurry. (Leo doesn't go.) Okay, what's the matter?

Leo: Well, once I'm down there you won't be able to contact me if you get in any kind of trouble.

Piper: Honey, what more trouble could we possibly get into? Besides, once time resets itself, then everything should be fine. So go, and be careful.

Leo: Yeah, you too.

(Leo and Piper kiss and he orbs out.)

Piper: Okay, so what do you say? Oprah or Barbara? (Phoebe smiles.) Barbara makes you cry. We go with Oprah.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Prue's there. Cole walks in.]

Cole: Prue? (She walks over to him.) I have to get you out of here.

Prue: You mean get us out of here.

Cole: Listen to me, this is serious. Something's happening, something big. I…. It's too dangerous for you here.

Prue: Why? What's happening?

Cole: I don't know, but whatever it is, it's important enough for the Source to have come.

Prue: What? He's here, now?

(She looks around.)

Cole: Which is why you have to go.

(Leo orbs in.)

Prue: Leo?

Cole: Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?

Leo: Trying to save my family. Piper and Phoebe have been exposed, Prue. The whole world knows you're witches.

Prue: What? How?

Leo: It doesn't matter how. What matters is getting them out of it, (to Cole) which requires your help.

Cole: Come again?

Leo: You have to get to Tempus. You have to get him to reverse time.

Cole: Uh, you've gotta be kidding. There's no way.

Leo: It's the only way there is, Prue, but we have to move fast.

Cole: I-I-I couldn't summon Tempus even if I wanted to. I don't have that kind of power.

Prue: But you know somebody who does.

Cole: Wait, (he laughs) you want me to... ask the Source to help witches?

Leo: It doesn't just help witches. The demonic world has been exposed too, Cole. Why do you think he's here? Resetting time solves everybody's problem. But make it your idea, pitch it like you're doing it to save him, not them. Whether that's why you're doing it or not.

(Silence.)

Cole: This is suicide.

[Time lapse. Cole walks into another cave. A demon guard steps in front of him. They stare at each other for a moment, then the guard steps aside. Cole pulls the hood from his robe over his head and continues walking. He stops when he reaches a dark place with a reddish glow. The Source is standing nearby. He is wearing a red robe with a red hood covering his head. You can't see his face. He has large feathery wings attached to his back and is wielding a sword. Flames shoot up in front of him as Cole enters. Cole kneels down and removes his hood.]

Cole: I've heard the rumours. I beg you, are they true? Have we been exposed?

The Source: What business is it of yours?

Cole: I may have a solution. Tempus's powers…

The Source: Are still weakened from when he _last_ turned back time. Doing so again will destroy him.

Cole: What other choice is there? (Silence) Forgive me.

The Source: For your betrayal? Never. (He rests the tip of his sword on Cole's neck.) I know of your struggles, Belthazor, of your witch. I know that's why you've come to me. I know everything about you. Tempus will do as you suggest, _if_ your witch crosses over, if your witch joins us.

Cole: She'd never do that.

The Source: Not even to save one of her sisters' lives?

Cole: Has one of them been killed?

The Source: _Wait._

[Scene: Manor. Everyone is still outside, yelling and holding up cardboard signs. Piper and Phoebe are in the conservatory placing a table against the door.]

Piper: I don't know why we're bothering to do this.

Phoebe: In case time _doesn't_ reset itself.

(Phoebe puts a chair against the door.)

Piper: If time doesn't reset itself, this table, against that door, is not gonna help much.

Phoebe: Yeah, well, then we better start thinking about what _would_ , okay? Because if Leo doesn't succeed, we're gonna have to figure out what we're gonna do.

(They walk into the living room.)

Piper: We're gonna do talk shows, and book signings, and movie deals, (Phoebe picks up the Book of Shadows) and then get taken by the CIA and dissected.

Phoebe: Yeah, how can you be joking about this, Piper?

Piper: _Who's joking?_

Phoebe: Well, I'm not, alright. I'm _scared_. And you should be too. Okay, our _lives_ , Piper, everything that we've worked for could be completely destroyed with-with one _stupid_ mistake. Our entire future, our entire _destiny_ could be wiped out just like _that_. (Phoebe snaps her fingers and a gunshot goes off. Piper gasps.) What was that? (Piper looks down and sees blood on her shirt. Her hands are shaking.) Piper. Piper. Piper. (Phoebe drops the Book of Shadows and grabs Piper before she falls. Phoebe looks at her hand and it has Piper's blood on it.) _Oh_!

[Cut to outside. Alice is standing on top of a van. She lowers a rifle.]

Alice: I killed the wicked witch. The wicked witch is dead! I killed the wicked witch!

(The policemen grab her and pull her off the van. They push her to the ground and handcuff her. Darryl takes her away.)

[Cut back to inside the manor. Piper is laying on the floor trembling. Phoebe is holding her and has a towel pressed against Piper's wound.]

Phoebe: Oh my god. Oh god. I know, I know, you're okay, you're okay. (She starts to cry.) _Leo_! You're okay. Shh. _Leo_! Okay, we have to get you to the hospital. Come on.

(Phoebe lifts Piper up.)

[Cut to outside. Phoebe is helping Piper out to the car.]

Phoebe: Leo! Leo!

Elana: Miss Halliwell. Miss Halliwell, please, what is going on? (Phoebe opens the back door to her car and helps Piper onto the back seat.) Miss Halliwell, please.

Phoebe: Leo! (Phoebe gets in the car and starts the engine. She drives to the end of the driveway, but everyone is blocking her way out.) _Move_! (She honks the horn.)

Elana: Miss Halliwell, what is going on?

Phoebe: _Move_! (She continues to honk the horn.) Move out of my way! I need to get her to the hospital! Move! Move out of my way! (She gets frustrated.) Get out of the way! What is wrong with you people?! (She starts to get upset and very agitated.) _Leo_!

(She gets furious and just keeps driving, running over everyone in her way and tearing off down the street.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Hospital. Piper is on a stretcher and four doctors are racing her to a room. Phoebe is running beside it.]

Phoebe: Hang in there. Where's Dr. Griffiths?! He should've been here by now!

(Dr. Griffiths races up to them.)

Dr. Griffiths: How'd this happen?!

Phoebe: Some idiot in front of our house!

(They take her into a room.)

Dr. Griffiths: What do we know?

Doctor #1: Pulse is seventy and weak.

Dr. Griffiths: I need some numbers, people.

Doctor #1: One, two, three, go.

(They lift Piper onto a bed. Phoebe holds her hand.)

Dr. Griffiths: Smaller entry wound, upper right back. Larger exit wound, abdomen.

(Dr. Griffiths listens to Piper's chest with a stethoscope.)

Dr. Griffiths: Lungs failing. Start an I.V., two units of O, stat.

Nurse: Right away.

Phoebe: Leo!

Doctor #2: Get 40CCs of adrenaline.

Nurse #2: Yes, sir.

Piper: He can't hear you. Leo. Something must have gone wrong.

Phoebe: Piper, don't you dare die on me.

Piper: Phoebe, I'm cold. I-I-I can't feel my legs.

Doctor #1: Pulse is dropping.

Phoebe: Don't go.

Piper: I love you.

(The line on the heart monitor flattens out and Piper goes into full arrest.)

Phoebe: Oh god.

Dr. Griffiths: Full arrest. _Paddles_! (Two doctors bring over the paddle machine. Dr. Griffiths picks up the paddles.) Gel. (The nurse squirts some gel on a paddle and he rubs the two together. Phoebe stands back and cries.) Clear! (He uses the paddles on Piper but it doesn't work.) Recharge.

Nurse: Recharging.

Dr. Griffiths: Clear! (He uses them again but it still does not work. He stands back from Piper. Dr. Griffiths looks at Phoebe.) I'm sorry.

(Phoebe cries harder, uncontrollably, and puts her head on Piper. She then closes Piper's eyes.)

Phoebe: Get out of here. Go!

(The doctors leave the room. A SWAT member stands outside the room and looks in.)

[Scene: Cave in the underworld. Prue and Leo are there discussing something very quietly. Cole walks in and Prue goes over to him.]

Prue: Cole, where have you been? We've been worried. What's the matter?

Cole: He knows. About you, about us.

Prue: So, what does that mean?

Cole: He's offering a deal. He'll get Tempus to reset time if... you stay... here.

Leo: What? Down here? He's crazy.

Cole: Hardly.

Leo: Yeah, well, we're desperate, but not that desperate.

Prue: Why would he think that I would accept an offer like that?

(Cole hesitates for a moment.)

Cole: Because it's the only way to bring one of your sisters back to life.

Prue: What?

Leo: It's a trick. He's lying.

Cole: No, it's not.

[Cut back to the hospital. The SWAT team walks through the corridor.]

[Cut to in the room where Piper and Phoebe are. Phoebe is still crying and is holding Piper's hand. Phoebe pulls some wires off of Piper. A SWAT member walks in the room.]

SWAT #1: Just keep your hands where I can see them and you won't get hurt. (Phoebe turns to him.) Easy.

(Phoebe kicks him out of the room. Another SWAT member runs in. Phoebe kicks him out too. Phoebe grabs a metal bar and pokes it through the handles of the door. She turns off the lights. Leo orbs in.)

Phoebe: They killed her, Leo. (Leo looks at Piper.) They think we're the demons now.

(Leo walks over to Piper and starts to cry.)

Leo: Oh, god. How can this be happening? I don't understand. I'm so sorry.

(He leans over and kisses Piper's forehead.)

Phoebe: Can you make this right or not? (She pulls him up.) _Go_! (Leo orbs out. Phoebe goes back over to Piper.) Don't worry, he's gonna fix it. I promise, you're gonna be fine.

[Cut back to the underworld. Leo orbs in, still crying.]

Prue: Piper.

(She hugs Leo tightly.)

Leo: You don't have to do this.

Prue: Yes I do. (She turns to Cole.) So, will resetting time affect us down here?

Cole: No.

Prue: Good. I only have one condition. You _must_ warn Piper and Phoebe before the demonic hit man attacks. Otherwise they're dead anyway.

[Time lapse. Cole is kneeling in front of the Source.]

The Source: Agreed. (Cole stands up, bows, and walks away. A guard walks in and kneels in front of the Source.) Once I have reset time, detain him. And then, _kill_ his witch. That way I won't have to worry about Belthazor anymore. _Or_ the Charmed Ones.

(The guard stands and walks away.)

[Cut back to the hospital. Phoebe has covered Piper over with a blanket. A SWAT member outside has a gun pointed at the room.]

[Cut to the Source.]

The Source: It shall be done.

(A crack of thunder is heard.)

[Cut to the hospital. The SWAT member fires his gun and the bullet goes straight through the wall, heading for Phoebe. It stops in mid-air and reverses. The whole day resets and Piper and Phoebe are back in the manor before Shax attacks.]

Phoebe: Look, I know that this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true. Alright, you're a healer, you do good, now either you have saved _too many_ lives or you're about to save a life that _they_ don't want you to save.

Dr. Griffiths: _They?_

Phoebe: Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax', who is the Source's assassin.

Dr. Griffiths: Hold it. I get it. This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her. (He laughs.)

Phoebe: O-o-okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but-

(She stops.)

Piper: What?

Phoebe: I don't know. I just... felt a chill. Prue?! (No answer.) Prue, are you there?! (A tornado of wind twists through the front door.) Prue, where are you?!

(The tornado knocks Piper and Phoebe to the floor. A clap of thunder is heard, the tornado calms down, and Shax appears.)

Dr. Griffiths: _Dear god._

Phoebe: No!

(Phoebe gets up off the floor and pushes Dr. Griffiths out of the way. Shax throws an aerokinetic blast at Phoebe and she literally crashes straight through a wall. Piper gets up and Shax throws an aerokinetic blast at Piper, sending her crashing through a wall. Shax turns to Dr. Griffiths.)

Dr. Griffiths: _What are you?_

Shax: The end.

(He throws an aerokinetic blast at Dr. Griffiths and he crashes into a window. Shax looks around. He looks at Piper and Phoebe unconscious on the floor. Pleased with what he's done, Shax turns back into the wind and flies out the front door. The glass on the door smashes as it slams shut.)


End file.
